Letters from Gaea
by MadamWriterGal
Summary: A complex story unfolds as the characters from the show correspond through letters. This is an Escaflowne epic fan fiction two months in the making. It is updated regularly. Please read and review!
1. The First Letter

Letters from Gaea

**Chapter One: The First Letter**

It was a peaceful moonlit night. The stars hid behind thick dark clouds that filled the Tokyo sky. Below, the city was still bustling with activity in the late hours of the evening.

Neon signs hung from almost every building. Industrial lights shone through the arched windows of multileveled corporate buildings.

Motor vehicles of all shapes, colors and sizes raced through Tokyo with their headlights flashing. The familiar sounds of people talking, merchants yelling, and cars zooming by filled the crisp October air.

A young woman with shoulder length blond hair and green eyes looked out her window onto the busy city below, holding a small ring close to her heart.

The ring was made of solid white gold and had five words engraved on the inside of its thin band.

The engraving read, "For the one I love."

The girl sighed as she remembered the day she had received her small trinket those many years ago.

It was on a warm spring morning. The sound of birds chirping had filled the emerald valley where the young woman with then short blond hair had stood facing the one she loved.

The lilacs had just come into bloom when she had stared lovingly into the soft brown eyes of a tall, dark-skinned young man with short, messy black hair. The two had gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, no words parting from either of their lips.

Suddenly the young man had pulled her close.

As he held her tightly in his arms he had said in almost a whisper, "I love you, Hitomi."

The girl had wrapped her arms around the young boy and whispered softly in his ear, "I love you too, Van."

Somehow the girl knew that she would never get to see the one she loved again so she had given him a small token of her affection before returning home.

"I want you to have the pendant my grandmother gave to me when I was young. Keep it safe and always think of me."

The young man had smiled weakly as he gently placed his hand on her cheek and pulled a small object out of his right pocket with his other. Unable to fight back his tears any longer, the young man had pulled away from the girl long enough to dry them and then had turned back with the small trinket raised above his face.

"And I want you take my mother's ring. I had something engraved on the inside for you but don't look at it until you go back to the Mystic moon. Promise me you won't, ok?"

The girl nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I promise, Van."

The boy had placed the small ring in her palm and then held her close once more. The love they shared had taken the form of angels that swirled around them joyously. Relatives from the past had stood around them watching in marvel. It had truly been a match made in heaven.

The young woman had felt her heart break as they refrained from embracing and had then counted the moments until she would return home. When the morning sun rose to its highest point in the northern sky it was time to go.

The two had stared at each other in silence for a few moments and then the boy lifted a pink crystal above his head. The crystal had flashed a dozen shades of red and then proceeded to carry the girl home in a great spiral of wind and light.

As she rose into the sky she had yelled, "I'll never forget you, even when I am old!" as the pillar of light had carried her up towards the heavens and back to her family's small apartment back in Tokyo.

A month passed, and the young woman had seen an image of the boy sitting on a rock in the city harbor smiling gently as if to say everything would be alright.

After that day, the image of the young man would visit her every so often in that same spot.

However, some time passed and the boy did not come as frequently as he used to.

Then one day at the end of her senior year of high school…on the day of her graduation when she had wanted to see him the most…he did not return at all.

Now Hitomi was a twenty years old and attending one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. The days of high school had long since passed and her trip to Gaea had faded into time and memory.

It had been so long since she had seen any of her companions from the faraway realm that sometimes she could not even make out their faces in her mind. The only person she remembered with some detail was her love Van and even his appearance wasn't always clear.

The young woman was afraid she was going to lose all of her memories so after placing the small ring on the night stand next to her sleeping matt she took out a few pieces of notebook paper and a blue pen from her brown backpack. She stared at the small stack of paper blankly for a few moments before sighing and laying it down beside her. She frowned and returned her gaze to her dorm window where she sat watching the people below her dorm building hustle by without sparing it a single glance.

"It's been too long. I can't remember a thing. What can I write when I don't remember what happened before Van and I parted?"

A sudden gust of air made its way through Hitomi's open window and knocked over the white fortune cat statue that her mother had bought her as a good luck token before going off to school.

Underneath the cat statue were the words, "Write me as often as you can!"

Hitomi sighed and rose from her bamboo sleeping matt. She walked across the room and picked the small trinket up off the floor before closing her bedroom window. She held the porcelain figure in her hands and chuckled when she saw the goofy expression painted on its face. She remembered the day her mother had written those words on the bottom of the good-luck charm those many months ago. They had been written to remind her to call home and send e-mails to her family as often as she could.

"I would write Van too if my words could reach him. I have so much to tell him."

Hitomi sighed and placed the Cat statue gently back on her nightstand. She walked toward the window and shut it for the night. It was there that an idea swept over her and rung loud in her mind.

"Maybe I could write a letter to Van. I know that he will probably never see it…but it will be a good way to remember things! That's what I will do then; I will write a letter!"

Hitomi rushed back to her sleeping matt and picked up the pieces of notebook paper and her blue pen. After taking a deep breath she began writing her letter to Van. Through writing it, her memories slowly unfolded on the paper and she could see her friend's faces more clearly in her mind.

Two hours later her letter was complete and she smiled, admiring her work. It was the first time in years that she had been able to remember her trip to Gaea without straining to see the past.

Before going to bed, she folded the letter neatly and placed it in a green box with gold trim that her grandmother had given her to put her pendant in when she was a little girl.

She placed the ring on her finger like she did every night before going to sleep, and then turned in for the night.

Through the night, Hitomi had strange dreams. At one point she could see Van sitting in a throne room beside a lady with brown hair. At another she could see Allen fencing with a blonde haired woman in a courtyard.

In part of the dream, Merle was sitting a lavish garden eating a strange fruit with long red spines and orange and white spots. In another Dryden was sitting at a writing desk reading an old book with a mermaid looking on in fascination.

All at once the images faded and were replaced by her pendant swinging back an fourth.

In its place rose her grandmother. She was wearing a blue and yellow kimono with white floral patterns. Her white hair was braided on either side of her face. She didn't speak any words but pointed toward her heart.

Hitomi's dream came to an abrupt end with the buzzing of her alarm clock.

She moaned as she rose from her sleeping matt and stretched her arms. She still had a few hours before she had to go to her Ethics class so she decided to read her letter over once more before heading downstairs to take a shower in the public bath of her dorm.

She journeyed over to her nightstand and turned pale when she saw that her keepsake box was missing.

"How can this be? It was just here last night! Where did it go?"

Hitomi looked all over her dorm room but could not her keepsake box or the letter she wrote anywhere.

Feeling distraught and tired, Hitomi silently journeyed down to take a bath and after getting dressed in a sweatshirt and pair of embroidered jeans, walked solemnly to her first class of the day.


	2. The Dimensional Tare

Letters from Gaea

**Chapter Two: The Dimensional Tare**

Two figures in white fencing uniforms stood facing one another holding a rapier in their hands. A silver fencing helm covered their faces as each placed their rapier to it momentarily to signal they were ready to duel and then charged at one another at full force.

The fist figure lunged forward and attempted to clip the second's shoulder armor. They missed when the second figure stepped out of the way and pulled its own rapier downwards. The move threw off the first figure's balance, sending them toppling over. Their sword was knocked to the other side of the room and their helmet came tumbling off revealing a woman with long blond hair and violet eyes.

The second figure took off its helmet revealing a man with long blonde hair and blue eyes underneath. The man walked over to the woman and offered her his hand but she refused. The woman stood from the floor on her own and gathered her helmet and rapier from opposite ends of the room. She placed the silver helmet back on her head and gestured for the man to come at her with his weapon. The man sighed and placed his helmet over his head once more.

They placed their rapiers in front of their mesh face shields to show they were ready for another pass and then charged at one another again. This time the woman dodged the man's attack and knocked his rapier from his hand. He ran to get it but the woman was a step ahead. She grabbed his rapier off the floor and pointed both hers and the newly claimed weapon at his throat. The man raised his arms in defeat and the woman bowed.

She took off her helmet and smiled, throwing the man's weapon back toward him. He caught it and took off his own helmet. He rolled his eyes when he saw the woman give him a sarcastic grin.

He gave a deep sigh and then said, "Ok Millerna, I admit it. You are a good fencer. That disarm puts you ahead of me by one match. I guess you have won our little tournament but does that mean I really have to do what you said?"

Millerna smiled slyly at the man.

"We had an agreement, my dear Allen. You promised that if I beat you in sword duel this morning that you would meet with the representative of Blue-Hawk Province today in my place. I won fair and square. It's your turn to play the role of the ruler of Asturia. Besides, that man is so grumpy. He never listens to a word I say. You are a better candidate for talking to him."

Allen frowned and walked across the room to put his equipment away.

He placed his helmet on a rack on the wall and placed his rapier in a heavily decorated container underneath before saying, "He doesn't like me either. He thinks I am the playboy knight who slept his way up through the ranks of the royal house to get my position. I think those are the exact words he used last time. What makes you think he will listen to me?"

Millerna placed her helmet on a hanger on the far end of the room and stuck her rapier in a silver chest underneath.

She turned back to stare at Allen and said, "Well at least he doesn't think you are the power hungry youngest daughter of the Asturian royal court who cooked up a conspiracy to get rid of her other sisters to take the throne. I'd rather be a playboy then a back-stabbing politician."

Allen rolled his eyes and walked over to his wife.

He placed one of his hands on her shoulder and said, "If it makes you happy, I will talk to that cranky old government official. However don't expect me to be nice; especially if he brings up Chid like he did last time. That is where I draw the line in the sand."

Millerna nodded and place her hand over the one Allen had placed on her shoulder.

"That is why you make a good match for him. You won't take his badgering. I always feel nervous in those situations and try to change the subject. I think it is better for you to talk to him and tell him what is on your mind. I think it would do that man good to be humbled every once in a while."

Allen took his hand off Millerna's shoulder and pulled her close to him. He gave her a friendly hug and said, "I would face an old coot like that for you any day. However, given his attitude can't we just fire him and replace him with someone friendlier? The only reason he is around is because he was elected by the previous council."

Millerna nestled herself in Allen's arms and said, "I would love to fire him but it would not be the best choice for the people of his province. Believe it or not, many people like him and if I removed him from office it would most likely cause unrest. I have to put the welfare of the whole kingdom before my personal likes or dislikes. That is the burden of being a ruler."

Allen pulled away from Millerna and touched her cheek.

"I will spend my whole life working to ease that burden. With all the troubles you have as a ruler at least you can be consoled that there is someone who will always fulfill your every desire."

Millerna blushed.

"Thank you Allen. Not just for today but for everything. Marrying you was the best decision I ever made in my life."

Allen leaned in to kiss Millerna but she stopped him half way.

She looked into his questioning eyes and said, "If you can put up with that man for just one hour I will send Prime Minister Grude to talk with him the rest of the time he is here. Afterwards you can kiss me to your heart's content. It will give you something to look forward to. Is that a fair deal?"

Allen chuckled and took his hand off Millerna's cheek.

"Very well, my lady, I will go deal with this old bird and then return to you with passion in my soul. I ask you to do the honor of waiting for me."

Allen gave a small bow and Millerna giggled.

She walked toward her husband and placed her hand on his shoulder, playing along.

"Oh brave knight, I Millerna Aston of Asturia will eagerly await your brave return from the battlefield of politics. Please come home safely so I can show you the passion locked in my heart."

Allen bowed deep and rose to meet Millerna's eyes. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments and then cracked up laughing. This went on for a few moments until an overdressed palace official walked through the front entrance of the fencing room with a look of urgency on his face. They exchanged curious glances as the man entered the room and pointed toward a scroll in his right hand.

"King Allen, Queen Millerna; the governor of Blue-Hawk Province is here. I apologize to interrupt your practice session but that disagreeable man is getting rather impatient. He just knocked a tray of crackers and cheese out of a palace attendant's hand when offered some food for his trouble. I beg you to please take care of him as quickly as possible."

Millerna raised an eyebrow at her husband when he didn't respond right away to which Allen made a face and then said to the palace official, "Very well, official Jenson. I King Allen will take care of this issue right away."

The official bowed and then turned his attention to Millerna.

"I presume that you will be taking care of his wife then, Queen Millerna? She is waiting in the lobby. Normally, it is not palace custom for the members of royal family to deal with the children or spouses of the provincial governors. However in this case…well, you see, that woman is just as impatient as that man. I do hope that you will keep her preoccupied while King Allen talks to her husband; she is bossing everyone in that section of the palace around."

Allen grinned at Millerna and she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Very well, I will take care of that woman while Allen talks to that man. It will be a team effort." Place official Jenson bowed graciously. "Thank you very much, My Lord, and of course, My Lady. May the sky god Dreulian give you luck and wisdom in this matter."

Jenson bowed one more time before leaving the palace Fencing room. After he disappeared from sight, Millerna groaned.

"Well Allen you should consider yourself lucky. I heard that man's wife Lady Victoria Ransend is one hundred times more difficult to deal with than he is. Perhaps I should have let you win that tournament after all."

Allen smiled reassuringly toward his wife and said, "Don't worry about it. I will send one my sister's former palace attendants to deal with her after I am done talking to her husband William. Don't forget; after the meeting we still have an important date of our own to attend."

Millerna smiled at her husband and laced her fingers through his hand. Each took a deep breath and then left the fencing room walking beside each other with their hands clasped. Both felt less than reassured about their upcoming meetings with their disagreeable house guests.

When they reached the corridor outside, Millerna wished her husband good luck and told him to meet her at the usual place after talking with Governor Ransend before journeyed down the right wing of the palace to take care of Lady Victoria. Allen sighed as he watched his wife disappear around the corner with an expression that looked like it belonged to a woman who was walking to her grave.

"I'm sorry, Millerna. I hope you understand that I feel the same way about Governor William Ransend. I think I would rather get an untreatable disease than talk to that man."

Allen muttered to himself as he walk down the opposite wing that lead to where Governor Ransend was impatiently awaiting his arrival.

Allen finally reached the chamber that the governor was waiting in and frowned when he witnessed him knock another plate of food from a palace attendant's hand. When the governor saw Allen walk into the room he grunted and rose from his seat.

"It is about time you showed up to talk to me, King Allen. I don't make these visits every month for my own health. I would like to get this rather unpleasant experience over with as quickly as possible so if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like to start our meeting now. Sit down in that armchair at the far end of the room, if you please. I don't like my personal space to be invaded. Besides, I feel that if you sat too close to me the stupidity might catch."

Allen held back the urge to make a rude comment and walked toward the heavily decorated blue armchair at the opposite end of the room without saying a word. He sat in the chair and frowned as his eyes met with the governor's who has just taken a seat in a green armchair facing the adjacent wall.

Allen thought of at least ten different things he would really like to tell the governor before he forced himself to say, "It's good to see you, as always, Governor William Ransend. I hope that out meeting today will be productive for not only Asturia as a whole but for your province as well."

Governor Ransend made a curt laugh.

"You don't have to be so formal toward me, King Allen. I don't need your sympathy. I am well aware that you have a strong dislike for anything relating to politics. Oh course, this broad area includes anyone with common sense such as a dashing fellow like myself. I think you made it quite clear how much you detest talking with me at our last meeting when I brought up your illegitimate son. Well, you don't have to worry. I won't make that same mistake again after your little outburst. However, there are plenty of things I could say about the marriage of your sister to the king of Cesario. It's funny how your bloodline has now extended to three kingdoms. It leads one to wonder if that was your plan all along."

Allen ignored the governor's comment about his sister though he felt a surge of anger run through his body upon hearing it.

He spent a moment clearing his head before he dryly answered, "Well then, if we are going to be informal, I will start by saying that Queen Millerna has the great misfortune of dealing with your wife this morning, so she will not be joining us. That means we can start this meeting whenever you see fit."

Governor Ransend frowned.

"I have a great amount of pity for my wife, having to deal with such an ill-mannered palace delegate but I suppose she will have to do."

Governor Ransend smirked when he witnessed Allen shoot him a cold stare and then continued on.

"Precious time that I could be spending helping the people of my province is quickly slipping away so I will get to the point. I have not come here to give you the monthly report on Blue-Hawk like I usually do around this time. I have come here with an urgent matter that needs to be addressed. This concerns Zaibach so I thought you might be interested."

Allen sat up in his chair as a look of shock washed over his face.

"This concerns Zaibach? It was my understanding that they became isolationists after the war. Few have journeyed to their border since. I hear that even merchants are turned away from making trades with them. This behavior admittedly has me concerned but there is nothing I can do about it as a ruler until there is concrete evidence that they are doing something wrong. Otherwise I would be putting the citizens of Asturia at risk for nothing. However, if you have proof that Zaibach is up to its old tricks I hope that despite our differences you will tell me for the sake of our country and the safety of its people."

Governor Ransend took a sip from a glass of tea resting on the table next to him and then said, "It isn't Zaibach itself that is the problem; at least as far as I can tell. However, many strange things have been occurring around the borders of their country. Merchants have gone missing. People have turned up dead with no scars or sign of injury on their bodies. Resources have disappeared. This seems to indicate one of two things; either Zaibach is engaging in criminal acts and disposing of the evidence before anyone becomes suspicious or there is some type of dimensional tare."

"Since there is no sign that points to Zaibach doing anything other than occasionally importing food from a nearby shipping port I will have to go with the latter until more evidence surfaces. A great number of light pillars have been appearing around that area which confirms my suspicions. If there really is a dimensional tare I think the other kingdoms should be noticed of the danger of traveling in that area. As I am sure that even an idiot for a king like you is aware of, dimensional tare can occur for up to a year in a specific region at any given time. Until the region returns to normal I think that our country should go out of its way to be certain no one else meets with the same fate as the previous travelers."

Allen nodded and curtly replied, "It looks like you and I finally have something we can agree about, Governor Ransend. I will send a letter to every kingdom informing them of the danger. I will also send a message to Gaddes who is currently stationed at Castillo Fort and give him an assignment to patrol the borders with a few of his men. That way we can kill two birds with one stone. Gaddes can turn away anyone who is trying to head in that direction. At the same time he can scout the area to determine whether or not Zaibach is to blame for the disappearance of those people."

Governor Ransend gave an awkward nod in Allen's direction and then rose from his seat.

"Well then, if we have nothing else to discuss, King Allen, I am going to gather my belongings and leave. If you will excuse me, I have to rescue my poor wife from being forced to engage in conversation with that idiot Queen Millerna. Until the next unfortunate time I have to spend talking to you, I bid you farewell."

Allen suppressed the urge to throw something heavy at the Governor's head for insulting his wife. He shot him an angry look as the governor took his coat and topcoat off a nearby coat rack and left the chamber without saying another word.

Allen didn't bother escorting the governor out of the room. It really didn't concern him whether or not Governor Ransend was able to locate his disagreeable wife. In fact, there was a part of him that wished he would get lost on the way there.

Instead, Allen sent for official Jenson and took some pieces of parchment out of a writing desk located at the far end of the room. He pulled a pen out of one of its drawers and began writing a notice to the other kingdoms concerning the dimensional tare crisis.

He then proceeded to write a personal letter to Gaddes urging him to patrol the area for wayward travelers and to gather as much information about Zaibach as he could possibly manage to. When official Jenson arrived Allen had just put the finishing touches on his last notice. He stamped both pieces of parchment with the Asturian Royal Seal and then turned to face Official Jenson, with the letters in hand.

"Official Jenson, please have the royal messenger make copies of this first letter to be sent to all of the kingdoms throughout Gaea. When that task is complete, tell him to deliver the second letter as it is to Gaddes at Castillo Fort. Inform him that both tasks are a high priority and must be completed as quickly as possible. I want this done by the end of today. Tell the royal messenger that he can use our country's fastest military airship to accomplish these tasks."

Official Jenson took the letters from Allen's hand and bowed deeply.

"I will inform the royal messenger of this right away. I thank you for intrusting me with such an important task."

Official Jenson bowed one more time before leaving the chamber with the letters in hand. Allen took a moment to look out of a large window in the chamber that looked out onto the palace garden below. It was now afternoon and white doves were bathing themselves in an extravagant birdbath to get some relief from warmth of the sun. He chuckled as he watched two birds fighting over who would be the next to take a bath under the fountain of water spraying up from the middle of the bird bath.

"Governor Ransend and I are a lot like those birds. We have the same goals but we are always fighting against one another to achieve them. I wonder if we will ever be able to share the same bird bath."

Allen mused to himself as he walked out of the room and journeyed to where Millerna had promised to meet up with him after the discussion with the rather unfriendly government official and his wife came to an end.


	3. The Atlantis Club

Letters from Gaea

**Chapter Three: The Atlantis Club**

Hitomi sat in her History class trying very hard to pay attention her professor, Dr. Saeto Itawanabi, lecture about the Second World War with little luck. She kept thinking about the whereabouts of her grandmother's keepsake box which got in the way of her listening.

"I just have to get through this one last class…" Hitomi thought to herself as she did her best to pay attention to at least every other word her professor was saying.

It was no use. Her mind kept wandering to what had happened in her morning Ethics 100 class. She had been so busy thinking about her small treasure that she had almost forgotten to take the midterm exam. Fortunately, one of her classmates had called her attention to the test that was placed on the edge of her desk before it was too late.

Hitomi was usually a very good student and did very well in her classes. It was just that today her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't stop thinking about her sacred family air loom no matter how hard she tried. Hitomi's grandmother had given her the box when she was very young. It was one of the only things she had to remember her grandmother by which made it very important to her.

She was trying to think of a logical explanation of what happened to her keepsake box when the lecture hall became eerily silent. She snapped out of her train of thought to find professor Itawanabi staring at her from the bottom of the lecture hall with a frown on his face.

Hitomi stood from her place in the classroom and bowed nervously as a few of the students laughed around her. Professor Itawanabi pointed toward the chalk board behind him with one of his hands. He frowned deeper as Hitomi raised her head and slowly met his eyes.

"Mrs. Kanzaki, I am going to ask you this only one more time; what was the purpose of the allied forces involvement with the war?"

Hitomi felt her throat go dry. She knew she was going to be in trouble if she gave the wrong answer but she hadn't been paying attention for a great portion of the lecture.

She decided any answer was better than none so she finally managed to spit out, "To…end the war!" and then covered her face in embarrassment when she realized how stupid her answer had sounded.

She felt the blood rush to her face as a few students laughed behind her and Professor Itawanabi's stern expression did not show any signs of change. Hitomi had never been so embarrassed in her life. It was the first time she had ever been disrespectful to a teacher. She thought of at least five ways to apologize, until she finally thought of the right words to say. Before she could manage to get the words out, however, a boy stood up in the front row.

He turned toward Hitomi and said, "What a brilliant statement! Bravo! You must be quite the history scholar to know the words of general…err…Peter Kayden…before he lead his troops into battle. I never would have coined you as a history master but boy was I wrong!"

The boy then turned toward Professor Itawanabi with a solemn look on his face and continued on.

"I am sorry for being so enthusiastic about this topic, professor. I guess I have made it my business to know obscure facts about World War Two since it was the war my grandfather, general Route Ayabari, died in defending our country's freedom. He passed away before I ever got a chance to meet him. Researching this war is the only way I can be close to the grandfather I never met. Please forgive me for interrupting your lecture to bring this up. I did it for my grandfather's honor."

The young man bowed and then sat back in his seat. Professor Itawanabi looked at the young man sympathetically and the gestured for Hitomi to take her seat. Hitomi sat down and breathed a sigh of relief as Professor Itawanabi gave his condolences to the young man in the front row and then went back to his long-winded discussion about the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

After class, Hitomi caught sight of the young man in the hallway outside of the lecture hall and bowed graciously.

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate what you did for me today. I don't know what came over me; I never zone out like that in class. I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."

The young man laughed.

"It was really no trouble at all. I was just glad to be of some help. I'm usually the guy who has to get bailed out because I didn't pay attention. I'm not always the best student, I'm ashamed to say. The only classes I really ever pay attention in are this one and Physics."

Hitomi raised her head and met the young man's eyes. She was a bit taken aback when she realized how similar they were to Van's. They were a different color but they held the same intense gaze.

When she realized she hadn't said anything for a few seconds she smiled sheepishly and replied, "Oh, I see. Well I don't blame you. They don't make these lectures particularly exciting. Though honestly, this is the first time I have ever drifted off into my own world in class like that. I feel so stupid."

The boy smiled kindly at Hitomi. Hitomi felt her chest tighten. The young man had Van's smile.

"Don't feel stupid, it happens to the best of us. Hey, I know; why don't you and I get something to eat? That will be your way of repaying me and my way of cheering you up. What do you say? Oh, that is, unless you have another class to go to right now or something."

Hitomi shook her head.

"I don't have any more classes today. History was my last one."

The young clapped his hands together.

"Perfect! This is my last class as well. Then it is settled! Where do you want to eat, Miss…err…I'm sorry I didn't catch your name…."

Hitomi smiled and extended her hand.

"My name is Hitomi…Hitomi Kanzaki. It's very nice to meet you!"

The young man took her hand in his own and shook it firmly.

"The pleasure is all mine. As for me, well you can call me Tristan Ayabari. Don't ask about the first name. My mom's really into fantasy so she named me after this character she liked from a book she read when she was growing up. It's totally embarrassing."

Hitomi chuckled in spite of herself but stopped when she saw Tristan frown.

"Oh I am sorry. I wasn't trying to poke fun at your name. I just thought it was strange that you wouldn't like having a unique name like that. I actually like it very much. I think it suits you very well."

Tristan's expression changed to a big grin upon hearing Hitomi's words.

"Really…you like my name? No one has said that before. Wow! You know, I think that you and I must be destined to be friends. If you believe in things like that, that is."

Hitomi smiled.

"You would be surprised at the things I believe. There isn't much that weird's me out anymore. Perhaps it is destiny that we met today. In that case, I think that I would be honored to be your friend, Tristan Ayabari. It is the least I can do to repay your kindness."

Tristan gave a big smile exposing his first row of teeth.

"You know something Hitomi? I think you and I are going to be good friends. How about we get to know each other better over a soda at Haruhi's Authentic Western Pub? I'll even pay this time around. Your friendship is enough for me."

Hitomi chuckled again and accepted Tristan's invitation. The two walked together across the university campus talking about their family and their future goals. As they crossed the street and entered downtown Tokyo, Hitomi was so engrossed in talking to Tristan that she forgot all about her missing keepsake box.

By the time they reached Haruhi's, Hitomi had told Tristan about Amano and Yukari and how they were attending a university in England together. The two new friends took a seat across from each other at an outside table and talked while they waited for the server to arrive. After a server with blond hair made their way to the table, took their orders and left to deliver them to the cook, the two continued their conversation from before.

"So you're two best friends are in another country now? That's really exciting! But it must be kind of tough for you. Do you still keep in contact with them at all?"

Hitomi nodded.

"We talk all the time over the phone and internet. Amano's family was originally from England so it was inevitable that he would go back one day. His mother is Japanese and is father is British. He was born in Japan and attended public school all the way up to his senior year of high school."

"His mother's family owns the Susumu Auto Corporation and his father owns a sister company of it in England called Gebbs Motors. That is how his parents met. He decided that he wanted to take over his father's business when he retires so he has been working very hard to become a business man."

"Yukari met Amano at the high school we attended together. The two hit it off and have been inseparable ever since. When Yukari found out that Amano wanted to go to England, she applied to his university and got accepted as an exchange student. She is studying business as well to help Amano run his company.

"Her parents were a little skeptical about the whole thing at first but when they saw how serious she was, they helped her apply for a bunch of scholarships and she left with Amano the summer of last year."

"I was probably the biggest supporter of the whole thing. You see, I've known Yukari since grade school. She is like a sister to me. I knew her long before I met Amano, who I've only known since junior high. Yukari is my very best friend. We talk whenever we can get the chance."

The waiter returned to their table and served them their food and drinks. The two thanked the server and then Tristan looked deep into Hitomi's eyes.

"That's really interesting. It's like Yukari and Amano were made for each other, or something. They sound like the perfect match! It sounds kind of lonely for you though. I don't recall ever seeing you hang out with anyone on campus. Not to be nosey or anything, but…have you made any friends at the University yet?"

Hitomi shook her head.

"I'm afraid not. You will be my first. I've been so busy studying for my classes that I haven't had the time to get to know anyone. How about you? You are an undergraduate student like me aren't you?"

Tristan took a sip of his drink and then nodded.

"Yes, this is my second year at the university. I don't know too many people either, to be honest. I spend most of my time with my sister, Ella. Don't ask about her name, either. As you've probably guessed, my mom named her after one of those fantasy books she is always reading as well. Anyway, my sister is a freshman this year. My mom told me I had to look out for her, so I make sure that she is getting her schoolwork done and help her get around the campus."

"I have one other person I hang out with from time to time. His name is Hideki Rasamaru. I met him in my physics class. We got to talking one day and decided to form a club. My little sister insisted on joining too. Hideki introduced me to one of his friends, Keichi Hasagawa shortly after and he decided to join the club as the fourth member. You might say that we all have an equal fascination with the paranormal. That's what draws us together."

Hitomi took a bite of the sub sandwich in front of her. She swallowed and then looked at Tristan with question in her eyes.

"What type of club is it? It sounds interesting."

Tristan followed Hitomi's example and took a bite of his sandwich.

He swallowed and took a drink of his soda before saying, "It's a club where we investigate all the paranormal happenings of the world. Anything is fair game, really. We investigate haunted shrines, share stories about mystical creatures and talk to people who have had paranormal experiences in their own lives, among other things."

"It's pretty fun, if you are into that kind of stuff. Our little group is called the Atlantis Club. You can join if you would like. We are always looking for new members. Unfortunately, finding people who are interested in exploring the paranormal world is rather difficult, which is the reason our club only has four members."

Hitomi finished the last bit of her sandwich and took a big drink of her ice tea before saying, "Your club sounds really interesting, Tristan. I think it might be fun to join. If you really want me as a member, that is. I'm very interested in paranormal events too, believe it or not. I used to do tarot readings for that reason. I don't do them anymore but I'm still very interested in the learning about the mysteries of the world."

Hitomi paused to take a sip of her tea and added, "What lead you to make a unique club like this, if I may ask? I'm sorry if that is too personal of a question. Look at me! I just met you and I am asking you to tell me your life story. Where are my manners?"

Hitomi laughed and Tristan joined in. He finished the last part of his meal and then smiled at Hitomi, waving one of his hands dismissively.

"Don't worry about it. I already said that you are my friend, so there is no need to be so formal. You aren't being nosey at all. I'm just worried that you won't believe me if I tell you the truth. The reason I started this club is even kind of hard for me to believe sometimes."

Tristan stared into Hitomi's eyes in silence for a few moments as if searching for the right words to say and then added, "I guess if you are going to be my friend, through, I've got to tell you at some point. Please don't laugh at my reason, ok? At least promise me that. It's ok if you think I am crazy because sometimes even I think I'm crazy for believing what I do."

Hitomi smiled at Tristan reassuringly.

"I promise that I won't laugh at your reason. I've seen a lot of unusual things, so it would be rather silly of me to think you are crazy when I believe in a lot of the same things myself."

Tristan nodded and then let his gaze fall over the city, not focusing his eyes on anything in particular.

"Hideki Rasamaru and I started the Atlantis Club to get to know other people who have had paranormal experiences in their lives. After I got to know Hideki Rasamaru, I learned that he had a very interesting paranormal story of his own."

"You see, I wasn't completely honest about my family in history class today. My grandfather, Ruuta Ayabari, wasn't a general in the Japanese armed forces during the war. He is still alive and well. In fact he lives with my family here in Tokyo if you want to know the full truth of the matter."

"I was really talking about Hideki Rasamaru's grandfather. I suppose I am going to get into big trouble when professor Itawanabi finds out that I was lying but I guess there is nothing I can do about it now."

"Anyway, Hideki Rasamaru's grandfather, Keung Rasamaru, was a brave man who honorably served his family and his country. However, Keung Rasamaru didn't die in the war like I might have hinted at in class. He just…disappeared in the line of duty without a trace."

"Keung Rasamaru disappeared during the same time frame as legion of bomb pilots over the Atlantic Ocean. The men never knew each other but they have one thing in common; the Bermuda triangle. You don't have to believe in the stories about it, but Hideki and I are convinced that it had something to do with the bomb pilots and his grandfather's disappearances."

"Hideki never got to know his grandfather personally, but he grew up hearing lots of stories about him. He thought that if he started the Atlantis Club with me, he might be able to find other people with similar experiences that he could relate to. Then maybe as a team, we could set out to find closure by solving the mysteries behind each experience. Since we've started the club, Hideki and I have done a lot of research about the Bermuda triangle and come up with some theories on what might have happened to his grandfather during the war."

"Keichi Hasagawa is a fairly recent member but he has a lot of knowledge about the paranormal world and helps us out with our research. Keichi had a paranormal experience too. When he was young he claims to have been visited by his deceased mother who died giving birth to him. The two had a long conversation and then she left as mysteriously as she came. He doesn't talk about his experience much with anyone outside the club because of the cultural taboos."

"As for my sister, I think she has more or less joined to be a pest and give me a headache but I think there is a part of her that wants to know the truth behind the paranormal experiences we're uncovered too. I guess I joined because I am just interested in that kind of stuff. It gives me something to look forward to outside of going to my classes each week. So now that you know the truth behind our club, are you still sure that you want to join? I understand if it is a little too far out there for you."

Hitomi laughed, causing Tristan to stare at her with a rather bewildered look on his face. The bewildered look turned to a frown as Hitomi realized her terrible mistake and stopped laughing promptly.

She stared at Tristan apologetically and said, "I am sorry, Tristan. I wasn't laughing at your club. I think that it is a great idea! The reason I was laughing is because…well, you might say that I've had a paranormal experience myself. That is the reason I believe your story. I'm just afraid that, if I tell you mine, you won't believe me. In the end, you might be the one who thinks that I am crazy."

Tristan's frown disappeared and was replaced by a look of question as he stared deep into Hitomi's eyes.

"You have had an experience too? Well, then, I guess our meeting really was fate! You don't have to worry about me not believing your story, Hitomi. I will listen to whatever you have to say. If you want, I won't tell the others. It can be a secret between you and me."

Hitomi stared at Tristan in silence for a few moments and then shook her head.

"I'd rather not talk about it today if that is ok with you. I am sorry. I don't mean to be unsociable or anything. It's just that…it's kind of hard for me to talk about. Please forgive my rudeness."

Tristan blushed and scratched the back of his head nervously.

He smiled sheepishly when he said, "Hey, don't worry about it. Not everyone is comfortable talking about their experiences right away. I should be the one apologizing; I just got to know you and I am asking you to tell me your life story. Sometimes I can get a little too excited about paranormal stuff and I don't consider the person's feelings. I hope you can forgive me."

Hitomi giggled at the awkward expression Tristan was making and then smiled reassuringly at him.

"You have nothing to apologize about. I'm the one who doesn't feel comfortable talking about it, so don't worry."

Tristan smirked. Hitomi was shocked at how much he resembled Van when he had a look of sarcasm on his face.

Her senses came back to her when Tristan blurted out, "So do you want to meet the other members today? We're having a club meeting in…" Tristan looked at his watch and continued, "Actually a half hour now. I can introduce you to everyone when we get there."

Hitomi nodded and gave a sly grin in Tristan's direction.

"Yeah, that sounds great! I think it would be good for me to meet some more people around here. I don't want everyone thinking I am the weird girl who always studies and doesn't have a social life, after all."

Tristan blushed and scratched the back of his head again. Hitomi figured it must be a nervous habit of his.

"Well then, let's get this show on the road! I'll pay for the meal and then we can head over together."

Hitomi nodded and Tristan signaled for the waiter to bring him the check. After the meal was paid for, Tristan and Hitomi headed to across the university plaza to a large building at the other end of the campus. Once inside, Tristan led her down a few hallways to a practice room that was situated at the very back of the first floor of the building.

He opened the door to reveal a younger girl with shoulder length light brown hair and frosty green eyes. She was wearing a pink t-shirt with the words, "Tough Girls Aren't Afraid To Wear Pink" written in black on the front of it. Her bottom attire consisted of pair of raver pants that had more neon chains hanging from the sides of it than Hitomi could count and a big pair of military boots. When the girl saw Tristan walk in with Hitomi she jumped out of the chair she was sitting in and gave him a big hug.

"Brother! It's so good to see you! I was bored sitting here all by myself. I was starting to go crazy! It's a good thing you guys showed up. Speaking of which, who IS that girl you brought with you? Don't tell me she's your girlfriend, Tristan"

Hitomi saw another side of Tristan's personality come out as he pushed his sister off of him and rolled his eyes.

"Ella, as usual, you're embarrassing me. Hitomi isn't my girlfriend. I met her today in History class. She wants to join our club so be nice to her, ok? I think you will like her. She's a lot of fun to hang out with. We just came from having lunch at Haruhi's."

Ella smirked then made some kissing sounds before she said, "You mean you went on a date with her? Oh, my brother's growing up so fast! Well at least you are going after someone real this time. Not like that dream girl you're always talking about…"

Tristan grabbed his sister's neck, pushed her head down and gave her a noogie. "I told you not to speak about that with anyone. You little devil! You better stop embarrassing me or I am going to frizz up your hair so bad you won't be able to do anything useful with it for a week!"

Ella giggled and shook herself free from her brother's grasp. "Alright, alright I will stop teasing you. Gee, you sure are sensitive sometimes, Tristan. Anyway…"

Ella brought herself up in front of Hitomi and grinned.

"My name is Ella and it is very nice to meet you! It's about time we got another girl in this club. Now things are a little more even around here."

Hitomi giggled and then proceeded to shake Ella's hand.

"It's very nice to meet you! My name is Hitomi. I'm a second year student here at Ayatori University. I heard that this is your first year."

Ella grinned.

"It sure is! I like it so far but the people around here are a little stuffy. I mean, I know this is a prestigious school and all but you'd think people would be more willing to be your friend. I guess that doesn't matter now that I've met you. I'm glad I'm getting the chance to know another girl. Now I have someone to go shopping with! The possibilities are limitless with the power of two girls working together to bargain shop!"

Hitomi was about to say something but before she could mention that she wasn't really into going leisure shopping another person walked into the room. This person was tall with darker skin and shoulder length black hair. His blue eyes hid behind a pair of trendy glasses that were contemporary in design. He wore a fashionable t-shirt and sported a pair of jeans that Hitomi had seen a few of the wealthier boys at the school wearing. Hitomi noticed that the boy's watch was a Seiko of the diamond series. Whoever he was, he did not come from a low income family like her family did. Everything about him screamed rich kid walking.

Tristan smiled when the young man came into the room and gave him a high-five.

"Greetings, Hideki! It's good to see you, man!"

Hideki gave Tristan a thumbs up.

"It's good to see you too, Trist. Sorry I'm a bit late. I ran into Keichi on the way here. He should be here any moment…ah speak of the devil."

Hitomi saw a second young man walk into the practice room. This boy had blond hair cut in a Chelsea hair style and brown eyes. His hair was not naturally blond like her hair was; Hitomi could see the places where the black came through at the roots. This gave the young man a very punk looking style. It was the first time Hitomi had seen a boy with earrings. The young man wore two skull earrings on either side of his face and a metal ring in his nose. He looked like he was taken off the front cover of one of her brother's skater magazines.

The young man immediately gave Tristan and Hideki a high-five when he came into the room. The young man nudged Ella's shoulder and they all laughed when she complained. Hitomi figured that this was a usual ritual for them.

Just as she was beginning to feel very left out, Tristan walked up beside her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Alright everyone; I want you to meet our newest member Hitomi Kanzaki. She has a lot of background working with tarot cards and the like so I thought she'd be a good candidate for our club."

Tristan paused to point toward the two young men who had just walked into the room and then said, "And Hitomi, I want you to meet my two good friends. The guy with the glasses is Hideki and the guy with the weird hairdo is Keichi. Don't let either of these guys intimidate you, they're actually pretty cool."

Hitomi bowed politely and smiled at the two young men.

"It's very nice to meet you both, Hideki and Keichi. This is my first time being in a club like this but I will do my best to help you guys any way I can. I'm very happy to meet some new people around here. Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your club!"

Hideki and Keichi gave a thumbs-up in unison and exchanged equally weirded out expressions to which everyone (besides them) cracked up laughing.

For the rest of the club meeting everyone got to know each other a little better and Hitomi discovered that the small group was in the midst of trying to uncover the mystery behind a place where spirits gathered in a nearby temple. Half way through the club meeting, Hideki whispered something to Tristan and handed him a piece of paper. Hitomi didn't catch everything that was said but she head Hideki distinctly say, "This will help you with your project" before returning to the group discussion about the paranormal happenings of Tokyo City.

After the club meeting came to an end Hitomi wrote down the club times in her school agenda and said goodbye to her new friends. Tristan invited her to have lunch with him again at Haruhi's at the end of the week and Hitomi accepted. Somehow Ella managed to get an invited too which caused Tristan to grab her and start tickling her relentlessly. Hitomi rolled her eyes as she walked out of the practice room and Tristan waved goodbye between tickles.

It was late when she returned to her dorm room. She yawned as she took off her clothing and put on her sleeping attire in its place. She crawled between the thick covers of her sleeping mat and sighed contently. She was so caught up in thinking about her eventful day that she forgot all about the way she had come to meet Tristan in the first place. After a while of thinking about the new friends she had made Hitomi drifted off to sleep without sparing her missing family air loom a second thought.


	4. The Dark City

Letters from Gaea

**Chapter Four: The Dark City**

A young girl dressed in long blue robes stood on the balcony of a large black, metal castle and stared out onto an industrialized city below. Beside her stood a man dressed in a combination of leather and steel armor holding a feathered helm at his side. After letting her gaze fall over the two moons hanging ominously in the night sky above she turned to face the man with a deep frown on her face.

"General Yuridan, I thought you told me that no one would interfere with my plans. How is it that a small, rundown kingdom like theirs was able to come in unannounced one week ago and cause so much trouble?"

The general bowed apologetically and then kneeled so he was at the young girl's level.

"Lady Capres I assure you that there is nothing to be concerned about it. Everyone involved has been silenced and the bodies are being disposed of as we speak. When I am finished there will not be any evidence that the king's merchants were here at all."

The young girl crinkled her nose.

"Very well, general; Just make sure to be quick about it. I don't need the other kingdoms looking to my affairs before I have finished my father's work. If anyone else tries to break foreign conduct, have them killed at the gates as well."

The general bowed deeper and then took the small girl's hand in his own.

"Your word is my command, my lady. I will see to it that no one else disturbs you."

Lady Capres took General Yuridan's hand and gently pulled it upward giving him permission to rise. The general did as he was instructed and gave a final bow before marching off to finish his duty.

The young girl returned her gaze to the city below grasping a small green pendant in her hands. All at once the pendant lit up and the image of a girl appeared before her shrouded in mist. The ghost-image was a young woman with long brown hair and hazel eyes. Next to her was a young man with dark brown hair and the greenest eyes the young girl had ever seen. A third image appeared but she could not make it out clearly. Suddenly the images all vanished leaving the castle balcony bare.

The young girl sighed and looked up at the Mystic Moon. "I guess there will be more obstacles in the way of my ideal future than I had originally thought."

She put the pendant around her neck and then walked toward the throne room of the dark palace with a larger frown on her face than she had had before. As she walked down the corridor she whistled a melancholy tune that seemed to fill the barren valley that the dark kingdom was built upon.


	5. The GluarstaSphare

Letters from Gaea

**Chapter Five: The Gluarsta-Sphare**

Van lay awake in his bed in the late hours of the evening unable to sleep. As much as he tried to journey into the realm of slumber his eyes remained open foiling his attempts. He kept thinking about the letter Allen had sent him earlier that day about the strange happenings around Zaibach's borders. The thought of the wayward country being behind the mysterious deaths and disappearances of innocent people troubled him. Allen had mentioned in the letter that a dimensional tare was most likely to blame but this did not bring Van any solace.

After an hour of trying to get some rest, Van finally gave up and walked toward his bedroom window. He sighed as he leaned against the windowsill and looked up to the Mystic Moon shining brightly in the night sky.

"Of all days I can't get to sleep. Tomorrow I have a meeting with the princess of Egzardia to negotiate a peace treaty between our nations. I'll look rude if I yawn and am too tired to pay attention to what she has to say. Some luck this is."

Van frowned and stared deeply into the mystic moon.

"I would never have trouble sleeping if I knew Hitomi was here with me, resting safely by my side. I worry about her so much these days. The magic of her grandmother's pendent wore off long ago. I could only visit her in spirit a few times before the enchantment of her keepsake left. I guess without Hitomi's presence, it doesn't work at all. I wish I could learn to use it like she did but I have never met anyone who could master it the way she did. I miss Hitomi so much. I wish she could be here with me right now."

As soon as Van uttered his last words in the darkness of his palace room a great light shined from his nightstand and then faded leaving the room dark once more. Van grabbed a white Katana from a silver chest under his window and crept toward his nightstand cautiously. When he reached his nightstand he was surprised to see a green keepsake box resting on top.

Still untrusting of whatever lay tucked within, Van opened the lid with his katana slightly and peeked inside. The only contents of the box were a folded piece of paper and a silver tag. Van exhaled a breath of relief as he put the royal katana back in its sheath and placed it gently on his bed.

"Well I guess that was silly to get so worked up over a strange box. Even so, I wonder where it came from. Maybe that piece of paper inside will give me a clue."

Van crept toward the box and opened it all the way. He first picked up the silver tag which had characters on it that he could not read.

"I wonder what country this kind of writing comes from. I've never seen it before."

Van rested the silver tag on his nightstand and then took the piece of paper old of the box.

The front of it had the words, "To Van" written in perfect Gaean.

Van opened the letter and began to read.

Dear Van,

So much time has passed since I have seen you last. I know I wasn't dreaming when I saw you sitting on the rocks of the harbor those many years ago. After that day I would wait patiently by the docks whenever I got the chance, just hoping to catch a glimpse of you. Then on the day of my high school graduation you were gone. You did not appear to me again.

However, I have never given up hope that one day you will be at my side, our souls joined once more. When I am able to give you a kiss in person, the one treasure I regretfully did not leave behind, I will finally be complete. I feel silly writing this letter knowing you may never receive it but it is the only way I can keep your memory alive.

The faces and voices of the people I loved from your world are fading fast. I remember so little from those days. The things I do remember are the good times that all of us shared. The Gaean War is such a blur to me now. I can't recall how every battle was won or much blood was shed in the name of Dornkirk's vision of a perfect world. However, I do remember the strength we carried with us in those days.

Allen was always chivalrous and ready to fight for the ones he loved. Dryden was even tempered and always knew the right words to say. Millerna had an admirable inner strength and a genuine kindness. Her sister Eries was always stern as I recall, but she had a good heart. Prince Chid was the youngest of us all but sometimes was the wisest. He carried the burden of the world on his shoulders for the sake of his people.

Merle always brought humor and common sense to us when we felt lost. Even Mr. Mole had something special to offer. He always seemed to show up when we needed him most. And then Van, there was you. You brought something different to the group; a strong sense of courage and self sacrifice. From the first time I met you on that fateful night I knew you were special.

At the time I didn't know it was love. I only knew that I wanted to protect you, to keep you safe. You risked your life to save me so many times and I wanted to repay your kindness. I didn't know at the time that you wanted my heart, so I repaid you in deeds. I was no hero. I just wanted to show you that you deserved to live. I wanted so much to make you happy, to make you realize that you didn't have to fight alone.

I was naive in those days. I didn't take the time to ask you how you felt. I was so busy chasing my own dreams that I let your love slip away. I thought I loved Allen but looking back I think it was only because he reminded me so much of my friend Amano. He was something familiar so I clung to him. My feelings for him hurt you, this I know. Even back then some part of me knew that it broke your heart to see us kissing on the bridge that tragic White morning.

In the end I realized that I was the fool. My uncertain heart caused so much pain for everyone. My false love for Amano caused my best friend Yukari to weep painful tears in my absence. My feelings for Allen caused Millerna, Prince Chid, Dryden and you so much pain. I hope that one day you can forgive me for everything I have done to not only you, but to all of our dear friends.

However now I just wish to look to the future. I am going to a university in Tokyo and am studying to be a writer. I guess I finally found something I'm good at other than telling people's fortunes. I hope to graduate in four years but with my math grades that is questionable. Even though I am happy here on my world I think of you often and wish to see you again one day soon.

This letter may never reach you but I hope that the feelings from it somehow do so you can have some way of knowing how much I really care for you…and to somehow be reassured that after all these years I still think of only you. I still wear the ring that you gave me all those years ago. I never take it off, even at night because I wear it to keep it close to my heart while I sleep. I may never see you again Van but please know that you will always be close to my heart too.

Yours Forever,

Hitomi

Van pulled the letter close to his heart and absent mindedly dropped his katana. It gave a loud ringing sound as it hit the decorative flooring of his bedroom chamber but he barely heard it. His heart was racing as his mind filled with the thousands of wonderful possibilities of how a letter Hitomi had written him on the Mystic Moon could have been delivered to his room in the Fanelian palace on Gaea. His thoughts were disjointed and he could only piece together a few from the many others whirring around his imagination like a shooting star.

Van strangely didn't feel relieved at making the miraculous discovery in his room. Rather, he felt a mixture of many different emotions at once; first excitement at getting the letter to begin with, followed by sadness because the letter reminded him of how badly he wanted to see Hitomi, and then confusion because he had no idea what he should do with the amazing thing he found.

Finally after much deliberation, Van decided the best thing to do would be to take everything he'd discovered to Dryden. As fate would have it, Dryden was staying at his palace as a royal guest as he was finishing up some business negotiations with the Merchant's Alliance of Fanelia.

Dryden usually stayed awake late into the night counting his daily profits and keeping records of his net income for the year in a merchant's journal, so Van didn't feel like he was imposing when he journeyed to the guest chambers where he was staying to seek his help, holding the letter tightly in hands.

Van reached Dryden's room at the end of the corridor and opened his door without knocking. He was so excited about finding Hitomi's letter that it didn't occur to him to be polite. Dryden heard the door of his room open and turned around to see Van staring at him with a look of urgency.

He gestured for Van to join him at the table where he was counting a stack of jewels and Van acknowledged him by grabbing a chair from the far end of the room and placing it beside his. Before Dryden could say anything Van took Hitomi's letter and placed it in front of him firmly.

"Dryden, I need you to figure out if there are any unusual properties about this letter. You know a lot about magic; it is something you have researched for many years. I need to know what connection this letter has with the Mystic Moon and for you to determine whether or not it is under any kind of enchantment cast on it."

Dryden sighed.

"It looks like I am not going to get my work done tonight. This is going to take a while, you know. However, for you…well, since you're giving me the opportunity to make all the money I am counting, it wouldn't be going out of my way at all to lend a hand."

Van nodded and then bowed slightly in his chair.

"Thank you Dryden. I truly appreciate your time."

Dryden gave a sarcastic laugh and gestured for Van to raise himself up.

"Hey man, it's really no trouble at all. There's no need to be so formal with me. I am your friend, after all. Anyway, if you leave this thing here I'll get to working on it as soon as I can and…"

Van raised his head and stared deep into Dryden's eyes.

"I need you to work on this project now. I am sorry to interrupt your work, but this is important. I also would like to stay here and watch you run your tests if you don't mind. I need to find an answer right away."

Dryden stared at Van in silence for a few moments and picked the letter up from his test to examine it.

"Alright, I'll help you out. If the king of Fanelia says that this is important, then it must be true. Let's see what we can find out…"

Dryden examined the letter for any strange marks but there didn't appear to be anything particularly unusual written on it. He decided to see if there were any hidden magic symbols on the letter. He grabbed a brown pot off a nearby coffee table and sprinkled its contents on the letter. Nothing in particular showed up, which gave Dryden doubts that there was anything special about the letter at all.

However, upon inspecting it further, Dryden noticed that there were a few letters on the opposite side of the parchment that were not written in Gaean. This sparked Dryden's curiosity, so he reached for a book on the far edge his desk to see if he could translate them. Van read the cover of the book as Dryden opened it, and then looked at Dryden in surprise.

"That book's title…Languages of the Mystic Moon; I can't believe that you have a book like this in your collection! Where did you find something this rare?"

Dryden flipped through the pages of the book and answered without looking up, "When you are a merchant you come across all sorts of strange items. I got this particular relic from an Ispano merchant a few years back. I ran into him on my way to Egzardia. His ship was having some problems so I helped him out and to say thanks he gave me this book. It's one of only twelve on Gaea so I could make a pretty hefty profit off of it. Even so, I don't plan on selling it any time soon. This little book has come in way too much handy. Speaking of which…ah! I think I have found the language this passage at the bottom is written in..."

Van grabbed the book from Dryden and examined the page. In Gaean, the book said that the language was Japanese. It gave examples of written phrases and Van noticed that one of the phrases within matched the phrase at the bottom of the parchment right away. Dryden had noticed it too and pointed toward its location on the letter.

"According to the book, the phrase means 'I love you.' It's a nice sentiment, but unfortunately I don't think that is enough to prove there is anything out of the ordinary about this letter. I'm sorry Van."

Van closed Dryden's book and placed it back on Dryden's desk with a look of sadness in his eyes.

"Oh, I see. Well, thank you for your time Dryden. I'm sorry to have interrupted your work."

Van picked the letter up off the table and rose from his chair. He attempted to leave the room, but Dryden got up from his place at the desk and stood in his way.

"Wait just a minute there, friend. I don't like to disappoint. I want to help you figure things out. Tell me; what lead you to believe that this letter might have any magical properties to begin with?"

Van sighed and folded the letter in half. He placed it in his shirt and met his eyes with Dryden's.

"I thought it might be special because you see…it is from Hitomi."

Dryden took of his merchant glasses and set them on his desk.

"You're kidding! The letter is from Hitomi? How did you get it? I thought you couldn't appear to her anymore after the magic in her pendant ran out."

Van's eyes filled with sadness as he said, "It did. I haven't been able to see her for years. That's why the presence of this letter shook me a bit. It just came to me tonight out of nowhere. Well come to think of it, it was in a green box when I found it…"

Something occurred to both Dryden and Van at this same time, which caused them to both say in unison, "I wonder if it has something to do with the box?" and then, "You think so too?"

Dryden nodded enthusiastically.

"It's very possible that the box the letter came in was the catalyst that sent it here. If I could examine it, I could determine how it managed to do so. Do you still have it?"

Van smiled.

"Yes, it is still in my room. I'll get it right away!"

Van dashed down the corridor leading to Dryden's room without saying another word. His heart was beating heavily in his chest as he reached his room, grabbed the small box, and then headed back to Dryden's room. Dryden saw Van rush through his bedroom door and gestured for him to hand over the box. Van placed the box in Dryden's hand and watched as Dryden began to look it over. Please let him find something…Were the words that echoed through Van's mind as Dryden returned to his place at the desk and started tinkering with the new mysterious new item.

Van felt a little foolish standing in the center of the room all by himself as long as he did, so he pulled up a chair and sat beside Dryden once more, focusing his intense gaze on the box as Dryden set out to discover its mysteries. Dryden took the same contents of the jar that he had put on the letter and poured a few teaspoons worth in the box. Unlike the letter, the box lit up and made a small humming noise to both Van and Dryden's astonishment.

When Dryden took the sand like material out of the box, the strange florescent light left it and it returned to its original state. Van looked at Dryden in curiosity, and Dryden smirked.

"It's just what I thought; this box is a Gluarsta-Sphare. How it came to be in Hitomi's possession, I really couldn't tell you, but there's no mistake that this here is what you might call in layman's terms a teleportation device."

Van's eyes widened at the news Dryden had told him and he felt a bit short of breath when he remarked, "A…teleportation device? You mean one of the ancient technologies left over from Atlantis? Are you sure about this Dryden? How can that be? "

Dryden nodded and placed his hand on the box.

"I am absolutely certain. There is no doubt in my mind. The substance I put in the box is a mineral called Druen which has the capability of reveling magic in just about anything. If the item does not have magic it remains the same. However if the item does contain magic then a reaction occurs. The reaction is different based on the type of magic it detects. When it glows and makes a humming sound like the one we just heard, it means that the magic is connected with a teleportation spell. I have seen boxes like these in my travels. Most of them can be found in the kingdoms of Basram and Daedalus but they are sealed up in museums and not intended for public use. Most of the ones that survived were so busted up that they ended up being burned as fuel during a time of crises in each of those countries. I'd say there are only about five left in existence, this one being the fifth."

Van stared at Dryden in silence for a few moments and then fixed his gaze on the box.

"If this device has the ability to teleport items, then why didn't it do this sooner? Something tells me that Hitomi was not aware that the letter was going to reach me by the way it was written. She might not even be aware of what this item is. What could have made the device work now after all of these years?"

Dryden took his hand off the box ad rubbed his chin. He thought quietly for a few moments and then said, "Legend has it that these devices are powered by human will. They work by taking the desire of the owner and turning that desire into energy."

Van looked up at Dryden and stared deep into his eyes.

"In other words, they work by the same principles of the Atlantis Machine. Isn't something like that a little dangerous to use?"

Dryden shook his head. He then took off the lid of the box and pointed inside.

"It would do harm if it had the same capability of changing human will into a power source, but that isn't the case. These devices were made to send small objects over long distances. Think of them as ancient mail carriers. They transform the will of the person sending an item into enough energy to reach the person it is intended for. I can't be entirely certain but I believe the reason the device came to life now of all times is because Hitomi wanted you to read her letter more than anything. It was really a coincidence that she decided to place the letter in the box before making her wish. Or perhaps it was fate. Either way the box is here now."

A surge of excitement rushed through Van's body when he realized that importance of the discovery. It occurred to him that now that he had the device, he could communicate with Hitomi as often as he liked. This thought caused him to smile in spite of himself as he mentioned out loud, "Then I can use it to send Hitomi a letter of my own. If I were to place a letter in that box and think of her….Hitomi would receive the letter, right?"

Dryden winked at Van and placed the lid back on the box.

"It sure would. However, the whole device would come with it. You would have to write Hitomi a list of instructions on how to use and care for the Gluarsta-Sphare. I would make that your first task if you intend to keep contact with the little lady. Otherwise, it will just go back to her and she will have no idea how to send it back again. Well unless fate intervened once more."

Van was so excited about finally being able to tell Hitomi what was going on in his Kingdom that he ignored the last few words Dryden said. He grabbed at stack of blank papers off of a nearby stack that leaned precariously against Dryden's desk and gestured for Dryden to give him a pen. All it once, he realized he hadn't said what he intended to do and felt very silly.

"What am I thinking? Please forgive me, Dryden. I just got so excited that forgot my manners. This is wonderful news! I want to write Hitomi something now, if you don't mind. I realize that I have probably set you back one night's work and I am truly sorry for that. I will see to it this problem is solved first thing in the morning. I will send one of my palace accountants to help you finish making records on your sales. For now, I ask you to please let me be selfish for just a little bit longer. I intend to write Hitomi and send her my reply and I will probably need your help working the machine. Can you grant me this one last selfish request before we both turn in for the evening?"

Dryden gave a short laugh and put his rose from his chair, placing one of his hands on Van's shoulder.

"There is no need to be so formal with me, Van and anyway you ARE the king of this country. You can do whatever you like. You don't need my permission. If you want it however, I freely give it to you. I appreciate you sending one of your accountants to help me out. I think that is thanks enough. Now hurry up and write that letter so we can both get some sleep."

Dryden took his hand off Van's shoulder and Van gave him a small bow before sitting down to write his letter. He took Dryden's advice and wrote how to work the Gluarsta-Sphare at the beginning of the letter so Hitomi would know how to send it back. He then proceeded to write about all sorts of things that he had intended to tell her over the years.

He wrote about Millerna and Allen's marriage and how the ceremony had been one of the most beautiful he had ever witnessed. He wrote about how Merle had become the minister of foreign affairs in Fanelia and even had been engaged to a cat beast man of another kingdom. He wrote about Fanelia and how his small country had grown to about the size of Asturia's in only a small amount of time.

When Van felt confident that he had included everything he intended to in the letter he handed it to Dryden who folded it and gave it a wax seal. Dryden then placed it in the Gluarsta-Sphare and closed the lid.

"All right, everything is in place. The only thing left to do is will it to Hitomi. You have to picture Hitomi in your mind and wish for her to receive the Atlantis Box with all of your heart. If you do this then I know that Hitomi will receive it in no time."

Van nodded and placed his hands on the box. He took in a deep breath, exhaled and then said out loud, "Please…find your way to Hitomi on the Mystic Moon. Make sure she received this letter as quickly as possible. Go to Hitomi wherever she may be!"

At first nothing happened but then the box lit up and made the same humming noise it had before. Van felt the box slip out of his fingers as it vanished from Dryden's room, leaving no trace of its presence behind. He looked at Dryden in astonishment who smiled.

He gave Van a thumb-up when he said, "That means it worked! Now we've just got to hope that Hitomi realizes your letter is in the Atlantis Box before she makes another wish. I wouldn't worry about it, though. Hitomi is a smart girl. She's bound to realize something is up when she realizes that the box has gone missing. It usually takes about a day for the Gluarsta-Sphare to arrive at its location."

Van smiled and looked out a window above Dryden's desk that showed a piece of the Mystic Moon in the sky.

"I know that Hitomi will receive my letter. Merle once told me that my feelings will reach Hitomi if I think of her with all of my heart. I have faith that they will reach her now. There is not a doubt in my mind."

Dryden laughed and nudged Van's shoulder.

"That's the spirit, Van. Just keep believing that the letter will reach lady Hitomi and it will. Now if you don't mind, I've got to do some more work before I turn in for the night. I know you are sending some help over in the morning but I at least need to get my sales charted or it will all be pretty hopeless."

Van nodded and began to make his way toward the guest chamber's entrance.

When he was at the door he turned to Dryden and said, "Thank you so much for all of your help, Dryden. You will never know how much this means to me. I am forever in your debt."

Dryden waved dismissively and then sat back down in at his desk. He didn't turn around when he said, "Don't mention it Van. It was really no trouble at all. If you need anything else, just let me know."

Van nodded his head even though Dryden couldn't see him do it and walked out of his room with a large smile on his face. He made his way back to his bedroom chamber where he spent a few hours lying in bed, trying to imagine what Hitomi's response to his letter would be. He finally forced himself to sleep when he remembered that he had a meeting with the princess of Egzardia in the morning that he could not postpone.

Through the night he had strange dreams about the foreign lands and customs of the Mystic Moon. In one, he dreamed about a young man his age walking alongside Hitomi on a white beach that stretched for miles in either direction. He could hear the ocean crashing on the shore as they walked beside each other toward a large city in the distance.

The young man had dark brown hair and intense green eyes. He was laughing with Hitomi as they walked along the beach under a sunset painted sky. There was something very familiar about the young man but before Van could think too much about it he had another dream.

In this one he saw a young woman with long brunet hair and hazel eyes looking up at a strange moon he had never seen before. The girl stared at the moon for a while and then was joined by the man in his first dream. They stared at one another in silence and then both looked up at the foreign moon.

The dream ended and was followed by another where Van could not make out the location or the faces of the people. He could only hear voices echoing through his mind. He tried to subconsciously determine what was going on but before he could he got a rather abrupt awakening.

He opened his eyes to find one of the palace ministers shaking him with a frown on his face. The minister stopped when he saw that Van was awake and pointed toward a clock-like device on the far wall of Van's room.

"I beg your forgiveness for using such force, your highness, but the princess of Egzardia has arrived and is waiting for you to meet with her. We tried waking you up an hour ago when she first entered the palace but you didn't respond. I was about to call the palace physician if you did not wake up this time around."

Van said a curse word in Fanelian and hopped out of his bed.

"I can't believe I slept in. This is terrible! The princess must think that I have no manners at all. Please give the princess my deepest apologies and let her know that be ready to speak with her in ten minutes. Also, Terrine…I am grateful that you did what was necessary to make sure I got to my appointment on time. You did nothing wrong. Please forgive me for my insufficient leadership and do me the privilege of delivering my message to the princess."

Terrine bowed deeply and took Van's hand in his own.

"Thank you for dismissing my behavior, my lord. You are most wise and magnanimous. I will make sure that the lady gets your message right away."

Van placed his other hand on top on the minister's as was custom and then gestured for him to rise. The palace minister obeyed and then excused himself from the royal suite so he could give the Egzardian princess his message. Van nodded and the minister left to carry out his duty without saying another word.

Van said another Fanelian curse word as he journeyed to his walk-in closet to put on the clothes Merle had picked put for him to wear to his meeting with the princess the previous day. He threw off his night attire and awkwardly put on his kingly robes which were blue, silver and red. He grabbed his crown off a dresser in his closet which was made of pure ivory. The crown had two gold dragons woven in a Celtic knot around each other that met in the center, holding an emerald.

Van always felt out of place wearing the thing, but when it came to foreign affairs he had little say in the matter. It was the law of his kingdom to dress stately in front of nobles so he had to comply. He journeyed down to the throne room where he was greeted by two other palace ministers and Merle who guided him to his royal throne ceremoniously. The throne room was filled with nobles that all bowed as Van walked up the steps leading to his throne.

They did not raise their heads until Van reached last step and turned to placed himself on his throne, letting his gaze fall on the room's entrance. Terrine gestured for the court page to send in the guest as soon as Van was situated.

The young boy made a small bow before announcing to the court, "I the court page Yurale Argen, on behalf of King Van, will now send for her majesty, Princess Aythene Karlyious Darlem of Egzardia."

The page rushed toward the entrance and signaled the royal guards on each side to open the door. The guards nodded and pulled the intricately carved doors toward the throne room, revealing a timid young woman behind. Van felt his heart skip a beat as the page led the young woman down the main hallway to this throne at the far end of the room.

The woman who was walking towards him looked startlingly familiar; like someone he had once met in the past or a dream about the past. The young woman reached Van's throne and bowed humbly in his presence.

"I am sorry to have disturbed his majesty from his morning activities. I, Aythene Karlyious Darlem, take full responsibility for disrupting your royal court. I humbly beseech you to accept my apology."

Van stared at the young woman absent mindedly and then turned a bit pale. All at once he realized where he had seen the young woman before; she was the same young woman with hazel eyes and long brunet hair he had dreamed about the night before.


	6. The Blank Pages

Letters from Gaea

**Chapter Six: The Blank Pages**

The next day Hitomi woke to find that she had slept in. She frantically kicked off her covers and threw off her pajamas. She picked up a t-shirt and pair of jeans that were lying on her dorm room's floor and quickly put them on. She ran a brush through her hair a couple times and then stuck a granola bar in her mouth as she struggled to get her tennis shoes over her socks. She grabbed her backpack and everything she needed for her nine o'clock math class before dashing out her bedroom entryway almost forgetting to shut the door on the way out.

She managed to make it to class on time but like the day before, her mind was elsewhere. As she took out her math homework and placed it on her desk, she couldn't stop thinking about the unusual event she had witnessed that morning. On her way to class she had caught sight of Tristan. He was so engrossed in the book he was reading that he had failed to notice she was there. Hitomi didn't feel upset that Tristan hadn't detected her presence. She understood that Tristan was probably just so into what he was reading that it didn't occur to him to look up. It was the title of the book that startled her a bit. At first she thought she hadn't seen it right but when she drew out the characters on the top of her math homework there was no doubt about what she had seen.

"That's what it said alright; The Secrets of the Mystic Valley. I wonder if it is just a coincidence. That must be it; there is no way that Tristan could know anything about Gaea. Or…is it possible that he knows?"

Hitomi shoved the strange experience to the back of her mind. She spent the rest of the class period trying to pay attention to what her math teacher was lecturing about. After her class was over she journeyed to her next lecture that was located in a building across campus. By chance she managed to pass by Tristan yet again. This time he was reading a book called "The Mystery of Atlantis." Tristan managed to look up long enough to catch sight of Hitomi. When his eyes met with hers he smiled at her and waved. Hitomi waved back and Tristan smiled at her one last time before returning his gaze to whatever was on the pages of the mysterious book.

Hitomi spent her whole philosophy class wondering what Tristan was doing with the strange books she had seen him reading. She was so busy daydreaming of all the possible ways Tristan could have a connection with Atlantis that she almost had a repeat of her history disaster from the day before. Fortunately, philosophy was her best class so she was able to answer the question Professor Ewenushi asked her right away. After her second fatal slipup of the week Hitomi decided that it would be best for her to push the subject far from her mind; at least until class was over. She somehow managed to focus on Professor Ewenushi's lecture about Daoism for the rest of class after recovering from her embarrassing incident.

After what seemed like an eternity Hitomi's philosophy class came to an end and she managed to catch up with Tristan once more. This time he was holding a book under his arm called "The Fall of the Titans." Hitomi gave him a curious look as he caught site of her and shoved the book into his backpack as quickly as he could manage.

Before she could ask about the rather unusual item, Tristan said, "Ah, Hitomi! It seems like we keep running into each other today. You know, maybe we ought to move our lunch date at Haruhi's to today instead of Saturday since we keep seeing each other anyway. I mean, if you want to go with me. I'm not going to force you or anything."

Hitomi stared at Tristan in silence for a few moments and then said, "It sounds like fun but I kind of want something in return. If I agree to go with you will you promise to tell me why you've been reading all of those books about Atlantis? I'm sorry to be so nosey it's just that…well, you might say that it ties in with my paranormal experience. So if you tell me the reason why you are interested in those books, then I will definitely go to Haruhi's with you. I will even treat this time!"

Hitomi felt a little nervous when Tristan didn't answer. All of the sudden she felt her cheeks turning red. It was the second time that day she had felt embarrassed.

She tried to pass everything off as a bad joke so she waved one of her hands dismissively and added in a shaky voice, "Tristan…I am sorry I was nosey. I just met you and…well, it really is none of my business why you are into those books. I hope you can forgive me and…"

Tristan surprised Hitomi when he placed his hand over her mouth and shook his head.

"No Hitomi…there is no need to apologize. I was just a bit surprised by the question, that's all. I told you yesterday; you are my friend. You have every right to be concerned for me. That shows that you care. Even so, I don't think we should discuss this topic here. How about you and I talk thing over at Haruhi's? I insist that you let me pay. It's the least I can do for making you so worried."

Tristan lowered his hand and Hitomi nodded.

"Alright Tristan, I will let you pay; but just this once. I still owe you for bailing me out in History class yesterday. Don't forget!"

Tristan laughed.

"How could I? Now come on; let's get something to eat!"

The two managed to find themselves at the same table they had sat at the day before. Ironically the same waitress with blonde hair that had waited their table yesterday was waiting their table now.

She gave the pair a strange look as they made the same orders they had made previously and remarked, "Talk about Déjà vu; this day just keeps getting weirder. First there was the radish in the potato bag and now this? Maybe I really should rethink grandma's advice on the arranged marriage after all…" before journeying to the kitchen to give the cook the order with a rather confused expression on her face.

The waitresses comment made Hitomi and Tristan laugh in unison as they watched her disappear through the back door leading to the outside sitting area of the restaurant.

Thanks to the waitress' amusing comment, the mood was lightened a little so Hitomi decided to take the opportunity to say, "I am glad that I met you Tristan. I can already tell that this is going to be an interesting semester."

Tristan grinned.

"You know, I should be saying that about you. Ever since yesterday I've had this strange feeling like we were supposed to meet. I don't mean to say that to weird you out or anything. It's not like I think we are dating. Please don't listen to what my sister said yesterday. She can be so embarrassing sometimes. I don't see you as that kind of girl. I mean! Wait…that's not what I meant to say! This isn't a date you know…well I guess it is, but it's completely friendly and…"

Tristan gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head. Hitomi began laughing so hard tears came to her eyes.

After catching her breath she said, "Tristan, I know that you want to just be friends. There is someone else I like anyway…so you have nothing to worry about either. I know that your sister was just being a pest. I have a little brother about her age, so I know how it is."

Tristan sighed a breath of relief.

"That sure is good to hear. I'm sorry to be such an idiot. I'm not always the best at saying how I feel. I am sure glad you can understand what I am saying. Not even I understand half of the words that come out of my mouth most of the time."

About that time the waitress brought their drinks.

Tristan took a sip of his soda and then said, "Oh yeah! You mentioned yesterday that you had a brother named Kenji. He's attending university in the United States right? Boy, that's pretty gutsy of him. I don't know how well I'd do over there. I'd probably mess up my English all of the time. I can barely speak Japanese, let alone a foreign language."

Hitomi chuckled at Tristan's comment and then shrugged.

"It's not really that big of a deal, though Kenji sure plays it up like it is. He got a scholarship to work as lab technician at one of the universities in the States while getting his undergraduate degree. He wants to be a biochemist. Mom and dad are so proud of him. They think he walks on water or something. As for me, well, I'm afraid that I didn't inherit the smart genes. I mean, I can write ok, but I actually came here on a track and field scholarship, even though I have yet to join any sport clubs at the University."

Tristan chuckled.

"It's ok Hitomi. Not everyone is cut out to be a biochemist. It doesn't make you any less of a person just because you have a different goal. I'm sure your parents are very proud of you too. You know, this university is pretty hard to get into as well. I barely passed the entrance exams. I'm just hoping I will be able to stay here long enough to complete my project on…"

Tristan stopped mid sentence and reached for his backpack instead. He took out the book Hitomi had seen tucked under his arm earlier and placed it on the table in front of her. Hitomi picked up the book and about that time the waitress delivered their orders. When the server left Tristan gestured for Hitomi to open the book and she took a close look at the first page. She was surprised to find nothing there. She flipped through the book and saw that the other pages were all blank as well. Hitomi gave Tristan a look of question as he grabbed the book from her hands.

He placed it back in his backpack and then said, "So you noticed it too? You saw that there is nothing written in it? Good. That means that I am not going crazy."

Tristan took a bite of his sandwich. When he finished swallowing his bite he continued on.

"A few months back I started working on a project. The article you saw Hideki give me at the meeting…well let's just say that it ties in. Anyway, this project I am working on got me interested in knowing more about Atlantis. However, when I checked the books that were available to the public out from the library they were all blank. So you see, I wasn't really reading anything today. I was just trying to make sense of it all. The books you saw me examining…well, I checked those out three days ago and do you know what? They were all just like the others; completely blank! How strange is that, right?

Hitomi looked down at her plate of food and then stared up at Tristan. She then pushed the plate away and took a drink of her iced tea. All of the sudden she wasn't very hungry anymore.

She finished the rest of her drink in three big sips and then said, "Tristan…somehow I think this might be connected with my paranormal story. I don't know anything about the project you are working on or what has you so fascinated with Atlantis but…if you really want to know about the ancient city I can tell you everything I know. Somehow I think the books tie in."

Tristan followed Hitomi's example and pushed his meal to the side. He didn't feel like eating either.

"Hitomi…are you sure that you want to share this with me? I mean, we just met. I understand if you don't feel comfortable."

Hitomi stared deep into Tristan's eyes.

"I want to help you Tristan. Telling you my story is the only way I know how so…what would you say if I offered to talk to you about it at my place tomorrow? I don't feel comfortable discussing it here. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to tell you my story today because I have a paper I need to write for my ethics class. If it is alright with you, do you think I could meet you in the university plaza after history class? I can tell you everything I know then."

Tristan nodded.

"Alright; I'll meet up with you around that time. I have to finish a school project with Hideki in a few hours anyway. I'm meeting him in the student union. Tomorrow my schedule is pretty free so we can talk about all of that stuff at your place. In the meantime, I'm going to do some more research on those books I checked out. I'll let you know if I figure anything else out regarding the books or Atlantis."

Hitomi nodded and signaled for the waitress to bring them their bill. When the bill came to the table she snatched it up before Tristan had a chance to look it over. She took her wallet out of her backpack and placed her credit card inside. The waitress took the bill and Hitomi winked at Tristan.

"I told you before that it was my turn to treat you to lunch. I still owe you for yesterday. Besides, this isn't a date or anything. You are not obligated to be the gentleman if we are just friends."

Tristan rolled his eyes.

"You really aren't a normal girl, are you Hitomi? Just keep in mind that this makes us even, so don't go trying to pay for the next meal, alright? Even so…I want to thank you. That was a really nice thing for you to do."

Hitomi blushed as the waitress brought her receipt.

"It was really no big deal, Tristan. You've done a lot for me so I thought I'd return the favor."

Tristan smiled and then got up from his end of the table.

"Well, I don't mean to cut our lunch date short Hitomi, but I've got to get going now. I wish you good luck with writing your paper. Be sure to get it done so you'll be ready to tell me about your experience tomorrow!"

Hitomi nodded and rose from her seat.

"Don't worry Tristan; I will be ready. Thank you for your encouragement. I hope that your project with Hideki goes smoothly as well. Have a good day and take care."

Tristan bowed politely and then shot Hitomi one of his famous grins. He then walked away from the table and made his way to the work area in the student union where Hideki was eagerly awaiting his arrival. Hitomi walked back to her dorm room and sat at her computer desk with a worried look on her face. There was something about the blank books that made her feel uneasy. She tried to push her troubled feelings aside as she turned on her computer and attempted to write her term paper for her ethics class.


	7. The Message

Letters from Gaea

**Chapter Seven: The Message**

"I am sorry to have disturbed his majesty from his morning activities. I, Aythene Karlyious Darlem, take full responsibility for disrupting your royal court. I humbly beseech you to accept my apology."

The young woman repeated herself when Van did not answer. All at once Van realized that he hadn't responded to Princess Aythene's words for quite some time now. He rose from his throne and walked toward the princess smiling apologetically.

He bowed deeply before her and said in a kingly voice, "There is no need to apologize Princess Aythene of Egzardia. It is I, Van Slanzar De Fanel, who should be apologizing to you. Please forgive me for the rudeness I have shown you this morning."

Princess Aythene blushed when everyone in the royal court bowed to bring themselves below the king's level, as was Fanelian custom. She tried to bow lower than Van with little success and brought her head to floor level to conceal her now scarlet cheeks.

"King Van of Fanelia, there is no need to bow before me. I am lower than your station. I am only second in line to the throne. Didn't your council members inform you of this? I work as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in my kingdom. I am nothing more than an over celebrated court delegate. So if it pleases his majesty, please do not bow so low before me. You are making me blush! I am not used to all of his attention."

Van raised his head and walked over to the princess. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gestured for her to rise. Princess Aythene rose shakily to meet his level and the court slowly rose with her. She had a nervous expression on her face when her eyes met with Van's.

Van was a bit taken aback by the beauty of the princess up close. She had the appearance of a porcelain doll. She had full ruby lips and beautiful long brown hair that was woven into a knot at the crown of her head and hung loose around her face.

She had hazel eyes that twinkled showing many different shades of green and blue within them. Her skin was mildly tan and her face had a natural blush of crimson. She was wearing a silky light-blue dress with long sleeves. Her body was thin and frail. She was so delicate that Van was surprised that she could stand on her own at all.

The princess stared up at him with question in her large hazel eyes and Van found himself lost in them. There was something very sad about those eyes. They reminded him of someone he knew but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

His thoughts were interrupted when the princess said, "Your majesty, I…have come here on my own accord to seek your help. I lied in my letter. I was not sent here by my father to make a peace agreement with your nation. My father thinks I am visiting an old friend in the country. The truth is that I have come to…"

Princess Aythene stopped when she saw Van's expression change to one of shock. Van was genuinely surprised that the princess of Egzardia would lie to him about such an important matter and it made him feel a bit angry.

Even so, he kept his composer when he asked, "Princess Aythene…why would you lie to me and all of Fanelia about something this important? I am admittedly hurt and shocked that you would take such a serious issue lightly. However, it is my belief that there is a story behind every ill deed. You cannot blame a thief for stealing when he is doing it to feed his family. That is the crime of the king for making taxes too high. I would like to know why the princess of Egzardia would disrupt my court in such a manner. I want to have faith that there is a story behind this so I can have faith in you and your nation."

Aythene felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. She had never meant to cause so much trouble. She tried to tell Van the genuine reason she had come but her throat ran dry. She kept seeing Van's expression turn angrier which made her feel even more upset. Her cheeks turned a little pale. Aythene finally decided it would be better not to look at the king. She closed her eyes and she felt her color return to her cheeks. With her eyes closed she felt a little more confident.

After thinking of the right words to say in her a head she took a deep breath and finally managed to spit out with some force, "Your majesty please take me as your wife. I do not ask this for my own selfish reasons. If I had my way I would…well, it doesn't matter what I want. Please your majesty, I beg you to consider my offer. I know that I am of a lower station than you are but you must believe me when I say it is for the sake of my people that I am coming to you with this request."

Van felt his blood run cold in his body. The princess' words felt like a dagger cutting into his chest. Being friendly with the princess was one thing but taking her as his wife? Van was so shocked by what the princess had said that he staggered backwards toward his throne and sat in it abruptly.

A few palace delegates began to whisper among themselves. The court page gave a bewildered look to Merle who appeared to be just as shocked as Van was. Princess Aythene began to feel nervous after Van didn't answer for a long period of time. She brought herself closer to his throne and bowed so deeply that she almost looked invisible. There was a part of her that really wanted to disappear. She hadn't meant to cause so much trouble for everyone.

She bit her lip and muttered with her head to the ground, "Please forgive my impertinence, King Van of Fanelia. It was not my intent to make you feel uncomfortable or to put you in a difficult situation. I will accept any punishment you see fit to give me for lying to you. It was the risk I was willing to take from the beginning."

The princess began to shake as a single tear ran down her face. Van rose his head long enough to see the frail woman on the ground doing her best to look dignified given her situation.

Van felt his chest hurt again. Here he had pinned the princess as some wayward government delegate when in reality she was risking everything for the safely of her people. Seeing the poor thing cowering before him softened Van's heart as he rose from his throne and put his hand on her shoulder once more.

"Princess Aythene…I am sorry for jumping to conclusions. You have nothing to apologize for. I admire your bravery. Your words have shown me that you have a deep love and genuine care for your people. However, I cannot make a decision like this without knowing the reasons behind it. Perhaps if you told me about the trouble that is befalling your nation, I could help you find an alternative solution to the problem."

Aythene looked up at Van and he felt his body stiffen when he saw the single tear sliding down her face. He felt like such an idiot for making the princess cry. The poor thing was frail enough without him helping her anxiety along. Before Aythene attempted to answer, Van gestured for her to sit in the throne next to his where his mother had once sat.

Aythene whipped her tear away and rose delicately from the floor, nodding only once. She glided elegantly to the throne adjacent to Van's and gently sat down. She clasped her hands together and then stared at Van who was sitting in the throne next to hers.

She looked rather sick when she meekly said, "The truth is that I have learned about Zaibach's current situation from my country's merchants. I heard them talking to my father about its plan to engage Gaea in another war. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. It was truly an accident. However, my father saw me and…he told me not to tell anyone about what I had seen. You must understand that my father is a good man. He just doesn't want our nation to be involved in another war. The last war nearly destroyed our kingdom."

"Even so, I cannot just sit by and watch my father do nothing. I thought that if I married you, I might be able to form a strong bond between our nations and rally support for a war effort against Zaibach. I had heard that you have one of the top armies on Gaea and so…that is what brought me here today. I apologize for my deception. It is my hope that you and all of Fanelia can find it your hearts to forgive me."

Van watched princess Aythene bow gently in his mother's throne and he felt his stomach churn. There was a part of him that wanted to storm out of the throne room, gather his Escaflowne unit and take care of Zaibach right then and there. Seeing the princess' worried expression calmed his anger a bit.

He rubbed his temples trying to calm a headache that had just sprung up behind his forehead when he said, "I can't believe that after all of these years Zaibach would stoop to something this low. Why hasn't anyone else been informed of this? Are your countries merchants the only ones who have caught wind of their plan? What exactly is Zaibach planning to do?"

Princess Aythene saw the desperation look on Van's face when he turned to look at her with question in his eyes and felt her throat tighten again.

She took a deep breath before she managed to say in almost a whisper, "A few of my country's merchants are the only ones who know of this. My father made them take a vow of silence to keep their knowledge secret. My father is a well loved and respected leader so they would never betray his trust."

"The reason our nation's merchants journeyed to Zaibach in the first place is because we were the last to know about Zaibach's intention to be an isolationist nation. Our merchants were sent there in hopes that we could set up a friendly trade alliance. However, they arrived to see Zaibach shut behind a large metal wall. They were turned away and told not to come back."

"It was already evening, so they camped in the forest outside of the wall. The merchant clan leader woke in the middle of the night to find most of his people slaughtered. Only two had others escaped and gestured for him to climb up in a nearby tree before the Zaibach soldiers came back. He did as they told him to and they waited for the soldiers to move on."

"A group of them came later on in the night and took the bodies away to dispose of the evidence. As they were loading the bodies on carts my countries merchant's heard one the soldiers say that the queen of Zaibach would be pleased with their work. He could not hear everything but the second merchant distinctly heard one of the guards say that the queen is the daughter of Isaac and has the intention of continuing her father's work. The third merchant…and only other survivor…heard another guard say that the queen…this daughter of Isaac…intends to rebuild Gaea through fire and blood."

"When the troops moved on the merchants escaped and immediately told my father the news. I had just come back from a peace negotiation with Freid when I overheard. My father was very disturbed by the news but…he still felt that it was best to stay out of the business of Zaibach. He has since given monetary aid to the merchant's families affected by the ambush but he has not released information to them regarding the nature of their loved one's deaths. He does not want the people to feel pressured to go to war or for our nation to suffer the same financial burden it did after our involvement in the last one."

"Therefore, he has swept this issue under the political rug and has just gone on pretending like nothing ever happened. No matter what my father's intentions are, I know that Zaibach will eventually destroy my kingdom whether we chose to become involved with the war or not. This is why I seek your help, Van of Fanelia. I beg you to consider this issue on behalf of not just my kingdom but for all kingdoms of Gaea."

Van felt body go numb. It had been so long since Gaea had been engaged in any type of war that there was a part of him that wanted to believe it would never surface again. The seriousness of the matter didn't quite sink in until Van heard about Zaibach's plans. Now there was no escaping the reality that Gaea may be covered in the blood of war for a second time. He stopped rubbing his temples when he realized that he had remained silent for much too long.

He looked at the princess with deep sorrow in his eyes when he said, "I understand your concerns, Princess Aythene. Zaibach should not be allowed to do as it pleases, especially when innocent people are involved. However, there is not much I or anyone else can do until more evidence surfaces. The truth is that I received a letter from King Allen of Asturia yesterday morning. He told me that people were going missing on the borders of Zaibach as well as turning up dead. One of his provincial governors suggested that it was a dimensional tare but your information sheds new light on the topic."

"We may know what Zaibach's intentions are but we do not have any solid proof outside of the stories of a few merchants. If I were to bring my army to Zaibach now without a just reason I could violate the peace treaties I have with the surrounding countries and may potentially end up fighting in an unnecessary war. As much as I hate to say this, the only option we have right now is to wait for Zaibach to make the first move."

"Until they take that initiative, I will send a letter to Prince Chid of Fried, Allen of Asturia, and Celena of Cesario informing them of this. I am close friends with each, so I know that they will take military precautions in their nations without leaking any vital information. I will also send a letter to your father telling him that I met you at your on the way to your friend's summer home and am having you stay as a guest in my palace. I think it would be safer for you to stay here until we know more about what Zaibach's next move is going to be."

Princess Aythene smiled graciously toward Van.

"I thank you for listening to my words, King Van of Fanelia. You have shown yourself to be a kind and magnanimous ruler who possesses wisdom beyond his years. When the truth about Zaibach's operations is finally exposed I will see to it that my father knows of your efforts in such a turbulent time. I will personally take the initiative to talk him into making a peace treaty between our two nations. I am pleased with the actions you have decided to take and I am humbled by your strong devotion to your people. For everything you have done for me, you have my eternal gratitude."

The princess bowed deeply and Van couldn't help but manage a weak smile.

"It is alright, Princess Aythene. I understand the love you have for this world. I have a deep love for Gaea too. I thank you for risking not only your political position but your life to tell me what you did. You have demonstrated true courage and self sacrifice through your actions and have shown yourself to be a true friend of my country. Please do not give me all of the credit. You deserve to be awarded the highest honor for the bravery you have shown to me and my royal court today. It is my heart's desire that you enjoy your stay here in my country and will not feel burdened by the news you have given me any longer. I implore you to stay as long as you see fit and to make yourself at home in my palace."

Van signaled for Merle to come to him and she came bounding up the stairs leading to his throne with a big smile on her face. When she got to the top of the stairs she shot an annoyed look in Princess Aythene's direction and then turned to Van with a big smile.

"Oh Lord Van, what can I, Merle Irini, do to help you today?"

Van smiled at Merle's cat-like antics and said, "Merle, I want you to escort Princess Aythene to the guest room facing the palace garden. Make sure she is well taken care of and feels at home in our palace."

Merle sighed and walked over to the throne where Princess Aythene was sitting.

She frowned up at the princess and said, "Lord Van wants me to escort you to your room, so please follow me."

Merle reluctantly stuck out her hand and Princess Aythene chuckled.

She took the young cat girl's hand in her own before saying, "I thank you for your kindness, Miss Cat. I am sure with a wonderful friend like you I will enjoy my stay here in Fanelia very much."

Merle pouted and then looked back at Princess Aythene with her nose wrinkled.

"I have a name, you know. I am Merle Irini; not Miss Cat. I am a very important person around here. I just happen to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I also have a boyfriend named Siobhan. That makes me even more important. Siobhan is in charge of the royal army of Basram. He's a very important man too. Just because I am a beast man, it doesn't mean that I am below your station. I am no palace servant."

Princess Aythene blushed in embarrassment.

"I am so sorry, Merle Irini of Fanelia, for addressing you below my station. You see, I am the Minister of Foreign Affairs in my own country and I should have known better. When visiting another country you are always the lowest station, regardless of your title in your homeland. This shows that you have respect for the nation you are visiting. Please forgive me for my informality. There is so much I can learn from you, oh wise daughter of Fanelia."

Princess Aythene bowed and Merle laughed nervously.

She waved her other hand dismissively and said, "It's really no big deal, really. You are a foreigner so I guess there are a lot of things you don't know. Maybe you and I can be friends after all. I can give you tips on how to be a better palace minister and you can keep me company while Van is in his boring council meetings. I'll show you to your room right away!"

Princess Aythene nodded and managed to only get in one wave goodbye before Merle forcibly pulled her from her seat and lead her down the flight of stairs leading to top of the throne room. She then dragged Princess Aythene down a red carpeted hallway with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, going on about the different countries she had visited over the course of the year.

When the two young women left the room, Van summoned Palace Minister Terrine to the top of the throne room where he was sitting. Palace Minister Terrine obeyed the king's command.

When he arrived at the base of Van's throne he bowed humbly and asked, "How can I serve you, my lord?"

Van leaned forward in his seat and replied, "I would like you to please bring me my portable stationary desk so I can write a letter of warning to Asturia, Freid, and Cesario as well as a letter of explanation to princess Aythene's father, King Mahavira of Egzardia. Please have the Court Page, Yurale Argen, bring it as quickly as possible."

Palace Minister Terrine bowed deeply and then sent for Court Page Yurale. When the young tow-headed boy made his way up the top of the throne room's stairs, Palace Minister Terrine ordered him to bring Van his royal stationary desk. The young boy kneeled awkwardly before Van and then ran off to get it. He ran into a nearby storage room where items the king may need during court hearings were kept safely tucked away. He retrieved the package-sized item from underneath a large stack of parchment.

Afterwards, he grabbed a small handful of the royal parchment paper he had moved aside to reach the king's stationary desk. He then proceeded to walk back toward the throne room, awkwardly carrying the gathered items stacked on top of one another in his small arms. He rushed up the staircase leading to Van's throne and placed the items in front of the king, bowing slightly.

Court Page Yurale was no older than twelve years of age so he was not yet fully trained in all of the court's etiquette. This showed as he became bored with making himself lower than the king, and rose up, twirling his curly hair around one of his small fingers. This amused Van who wished the other members of the court would take the young boy's example and be just as informal toward him every so often. Palace Minister Terrine became annoyed with boy's behavior and slapped his hand, forcing him to stop. The young boy pouted and then kneeled before the king, showing his respect once more. The situation made Van chuckle in spite of himself.

He picked the portable stationary desk up from the floor and then said to the young boy, "Well done, Court Page Yurale. I see you have carried out your job swimmingly, as usual. Now my good sir, will you do me the favor of waiting here while I finish up writing these letters? When I am finished, I want you to have the important task of delivering them to the royal messengers division of the palace. Do you think you can manage to do this task for me, young friend?"

The court page grinned, exposing an area on his bottom row of teeth where an adult tooth had yet to grow in.

"Of course, your majesty. I will eagerly wait for you to finish so I can carry out this task."

Van nodded and then set to work writing his letters. When he got done writing the first three, he had a bit of writer's block on the fourth. To work through it, he pretended that he was writing another letter to Hitomi. After a while the whole letter became devoted to his feelings toward her. He had already signed it with a sentiment of love before he realized what he was doing. Feeling quite embarrassed, he tucked the piece of parchment in the sleeve of his kingly robe and muttered, "I made an error in my penmanship" to the court before writing the real letter to King Mahavira of Egzardia. When he was finished he read it to himself, admiring his work.

The letter read:

Dear King Mahavira Wallis Darlem of Egzardia,

I was traveling through the countryside when I managed to meet up with your daughter. She was on her way to visit one of her friend's summer homes when I spotted her traveling through the forest. I talked to her and learned that she had somehow become turned around. In order to ease her worry I took her to my palace to recuperate. Afterwards, I intended to have my royal traveler's assistants guide her in the right direction.

However, it seems that your daughter has made a new friend in my Palace Minister of Foreign Affairs, Merle Irini. It is Princess Aythene's desire to stay in my kingdom for as long as you will allow. She would very much like to get acquainted with Lady Merle as well as learn more about the culture of this land.

Please rest assured with the knowledge that your daughter is getting the finest treatment and is being well feed. As is custom in Fanelia, I will send your daughter home with as many gifts as her royal attendants can carry, when she finally makes the decision to leave us. This will be my thanks to your kingdom for letting us have the privilege and honor of taking care of her while she is a guest here.

I imagine that you must be a very generous king to have a daughter as kind as Princess Aythene. She has been and continues to be a breath of fresh air in this sometimes overly political court. I wish your people happiness and your kingdom wealth in the coming year. May the goddess of fortune, Sora, smile upon you and your royal house for letting your wonderful daughter stay in my humble kingdom, if only for a while.

I hope that one day you will also visit me with your wife and son as well. I look forward to getting to know your family better in the future. Thank you in advance for your blessing.

Sincerely,

Van Slanzar De Fanel,

Reigning King of Fanelia

Son of Gaou and Varie Fanel

Brother of Folken Lacour De Fanel

His final letter complete, Van handed the remaining stack of parchment along with the stationary desk to a nearby palace attendant. He then handed the four letters he had just finished writing to Court Page Yurale, who took them in his hands eagerly.

Van gave the young boy a serious look and said, "Court Page Yurale, please deliver these letters post haste to the Royal Messenger Division of the palace. I have sealed each one with a high priority stamp. I want all of these letters to be delivered by the end of today. Tell the division to send as many messengers as are necessary to complete this task. Also inform them that they may use our county's air guymelef units to accomplish this goal. I ask you to please deliver this message along with these letters to the division as soon as possible."

Court Page Yurale bowed awkwardly and said, "Of course your majesty. I thank you for letting me carry out this errand on your behalf. I will complete this errand post haste!"

Court Page Yurale bowed one last time before running down the staircase leading to Van's throne, making his way to the other end of the room. He glanced back only once before turning around a corner gripping the letters tightly in his hand.

When he had disappeared from sight, Van said to the court, "Everyone who was present for this court meeting must keep quiet about what they have heard and seen today. It is imperative that we keep our silence so Zaibach does not know of our military actions. Furthermore, I want this kingdom's armed forces to begin practicing battle strategies and weapon maneuvers. We must be prepared for a surprise attack. I will leave all war preparations in the capable hands of First General Camden. Inform him on my behalf to take these military precautions and also to increase soldier activity in the main city. If anyone asks the reason, tell them that the militia is present to ensure Princess Aythene's protection while she is visiting our nation on behalf of Egzardia. Please do this for our kingdom, Fanelia, her people, and the very world we draw breath on, Gaea loved by the sea and the air."

The whole royal court bowed and then set off to carry out the individual tasks appointed to them. Van rose from his throne and walked down a long corridor which lead back to his bedroom chambers. When he reached his room, he took the letter he had written to Hitomi earlier out of his formal robe's sleeve compartment and drew it close to his heart.

"My beloved Hitomi, why is it that whenever I get a chance to be close to you something like this comes up?"

Van sighed and gently placed the letter on top of his nightstand. He took off his silver crown and stared at it with sadness in his eyes. He let his gaze fall over the two dragons holding a large emerald in the center of the circlet and felt a mixture of unsettled emotions within.

"I find it funny how as a king you can have everything in the world you could ever want except the one thing your heart truly desires. It is some cruel joke that the goddess of fate plays on men and woman born of the blood."

Van whispered to himself as he placed his crown over the letter. He sighed as he walked out his bedroom door down a long hallways leading to the wing of the palace where the guest rooms were located to inform Dryden of the news.


	8. The Leopard Twins

Letters from Gaea

**Chapter Eight: The Leopard Twins**

Lady Capres stood in front of a man dressed in a long white lab technicians' coat with a scowl on her face. The man twiddled his fingers together nervously as he watched Lady Capres' expression get progressively more annoyed.

Lady Capres let the lab technician sweat it out for a few moments before speaking. The man trembled in fear as she finally managed to say in an ominous voice, "How is it, Dr. Ruben, that the product of our research has become common knowledge across all of Gaea in less than a day? I was told that the other kingdoms would keep their noses out of our country's business if we became isolationists."

"Yet, here I find that not only does every kingdom on this world know about the disappearing people and large concentration of light pillars in the area, but they have decided to abandon travel through our country until further notice. Now tell me, Doctor; how are we supposed to capture live subjects if no one else attempts to travel through the region?"

"Furthermore, I have learned that King Allen of Asturia has sent a legion of his best soldiers to scout the borders of Zaibach. What are we supposed to do if his men discover more than they should? This whole situation is a great embarrassment to me. I don't like to be embarrassed, Dr. Ruben."

Dr. Ruben tugged on the collar of his white lab coat and shakily replied, "L-Lady Capres, I assure you that my research team took every precaution to make sure that any evidence left behind from our experimentations was disposed of. I don't know who could have possibly leaked all of that information but it had nothing to do with our research team, I swear it! You must believe me!"

Lady Capres walked toward the man and raised her hand in front of her face. She stopped in front of the doctor and balled her hand into a fist. She proceeded to slam her first down onto a lab bench beside him, causing it to break.

"I don't want to hear your excuses, Doctor. I have asked a great many people working on this project who I should blame for this slip-up and they have all pointed their finger toward you. Dr. Zulias informed me that you have knowingly let people escape from our country for the past three months because you felt it was unethical to involve them in our experiments."

"The people you have let get away are the very same people who have uncovered fragments of our operation. You knew that there were three survivors from the Merchant incident a week ago and you let them just get away. If you keep letting information get out, before long, all of Gaea will know our true intentions. We can't have that happening, now can we, Dr. Ruben?"

Dr. Ruben felt his throat run dry. After a few moments of gathering his thoughts he managed to choke out, "It was never my intention to betray our country, my lady. I just think that we should limit our research to cloning technology. That way, no more innocent people will have to suffer. That is all I was trying to do. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble for you. Please forgive me!"

Dr. Ruben got on his hands and knees in front of Lady Capres and she frowned.

"I think it is a little too late for apologies, doctor. From this day forward, Dr. Zulias will be taking over as the head of this operation. I am a generous person so I am going to do you the favor of disposing of you now before General Yuridan tries to spare your life by putting you in prison. I bid you a fond farewell, Dr. Julius Ruben."

The doctor raised his head from the floor with terror in his eyes as Lady Capres brought out a green pendant and whispered some unfamiliar words into it. All at once a green light sprung fourth from the pendant and struck the doctor's now exposed chest. Dr. Ruben yelled in pain and then writhed on the lab room's floor as the surge of energy shot through his body. When the energy beam disappeared back into the pendant the doctor was left dead on the research department's cold black metal floor. Lady Capres gave a satisfied grin as she stepped over his body and strode confidently out of the room.

When she reached the dark hallway outside, she turned to a pair of white leopard female beast men who had been patiently waiting her return.

The only difference between them seemed to be their eyes. One had eyes as green as a polished emerald and the other had eyes with the characteristics of blue paradox. They were both wearing grey guymelef pilot suits and had the same silky long white hair that fell to their backs in a long braid.

They bowed when they saw Lady Capres enter the hallway and said in unison, "My lady, how can we be of service to you?"

Lady Capres signaled for the white leopard twins to rise and they obeyed her command.

She placed her green pendant around her neck and then replied, "Sorai, Lorei; I need you to take care of something for me. Allen's men are patrolling the borders of our country. They are sticking their noses where they don't belong. I need you to create a distraction that will throw them off the scent. You must use your illusionist skills to lead them away from the country. I don't care where you make them end up but be sure to leave them alive. If we pull this off correctly, it will point toward evidence that there is a dimensional tare and get the other kingdoms off our backs. It is imperative that you complete this mission. Your success means that we can continue working on the Atlantis Project without any further hindrances. Is this understood?"

The white leopard woman with green eyes nodded and said, "We understand, Lady Capres; failure is not an option. We will complete this task right away."

The white leopard woman with blue eyes added, "You have nothing to worry about, my lady. Lorei and I will take care of this problem. Thank you for putting your trust in our abilities."

The two white leopard women bowed deeply and then walked away from Lady Capes down a long dark corridor leading to the guymelef docking port below. Lady Capres watched the white leopard twins disappear down the right wing of the research facility and narrowed her eyes.

"You had better not fail me girls. Otherwise you will meet with the same fate as Dr. Ruben. I just need one more week of research. After that, I am sure that I will have the power to bring peace to this world."

Lady Capres let her gaze fall over the lifeless body of Dr. Ruben in the lab room and pressed a red button next to the door. It lit up and a voice was projected from a speaker system above it.

The voice said, "This is General Yuridan. Please state your business."

Lady Capres coolly replied, "General, I want you to send a team of men to dispose of a body in the research department. It seems Dr. Ruben was overworked and the stress did him in. I arrived to find him dead on one of the lab room's floors. Please make sure that his family is informed and give them my deepest sympathies."

The speaker crackled a few times and then General Yuridan gruff old voice answered in a militaristic tone, "Understood. I will send a group of men right away."

Lady Capres shut off the communication system without replying and walked down the opposite end of the research building with a smug grin on her youthful face.


	9. The Valley of Illusions

Letters from Gaea

**Chapter Nine: The Valley of Illusions**

Gaddes sat atop a black warhorse decorated in dark-brown leather armor with a puzzled look on his face. For some time he had been waiting for the group of men he had sent to investigate the forests surrounding Zaibach's border to return with a report. Much to his dismay, none of the men from the group had shown any evidence that they were even still in the area. It was now an hour after they were supposed to return and Gaddes was starting to get worried.

He turned to look at Reeden who was sitting on a brown warhorse dressed in tan leather armor beside him and asked, "Wasn't Kio's group supposed to be back by now? It's not like him to bail out on us. I sure don't like the way this mission is turning out."

Reeden gripped the reins of his warhorse with one hand and shrugged with the other.

"I don't know, boss. Kio always reports back after doing reconnaissance. It wouldn't make sense that he'd quit following your orders now after years of being a loyal soldier. Maybe we should go investigate."

Gaddes nodded and signaled for the remaining members of his team to journey into the forest with him to determine what was going on. The group of men had only traveled a few steps when Gaddes witnessed two guymelefs land in an open field a few feet in front of them. He signaled for the men on horseback behind him to come to a halt and then climbed off his warhorse onto the cobblestone path below.

He watched as two white leopard beast women climbed out of their grey guymelef units and walked up the stony path in his direction. Gaddes and Reeden exchanged worried glances as the two identical white leopard woman reached the small party of travelers with their arms outstretched.

The white leopard woman with green eyes said in a cheerful voice, "Welcome, merry band of men, to the kingdom of Ersa! My sister Sorai and I noticed that you seemed a bit lost so we decided to land our scouting units and give you a hand. Ask us any question and we will do everything in our power to answer!"

The white leopard woman with blue eyes added, "That is right, sister Lorei. It is our charge as the queen's official border patrol team to aid any traveler who is in need of assistance. How can my sister and I be of service of you today?"

Gaddes' face turned a bit pale.

"Wait just a minute; did you say that we are near the kingdom of Ersa? How can that be? My men and I just reached the border of Zaibach yesterday evening. We were sent there to patrol the area by order of King Allen of Asturia. Though come to think of it, we woke up this morning from the camp we set up and everything looked different. That is why I sent a team of my men to determine which direction to travel in earlier this morning."

The white leopard woman with blue eyes gave a quick glance in her sister's direction and then said, "I assure you that you are on the borders of Ersa. You would have not run into my sister and me if that were not the case. We have strict orders to remain within our kingdom's boundaries. So, you see, it is not possible that you could be anywhere else."

Gaddes rubbed his chin for a few moments. He was deep in thought when he muttered under his breath, "We aren't close to Zaibach? I don't get it. I was sure that we were traveling in that right direction before. Maybe things looked different because it was dark out or something. Well I guess there is no use crying over spilled milk."

He snapped out of his train of thought and said to the white leopard twins, "I am sorry that we have stumbled onto your border. My men and I must have gotten ourselves turned around last night. I hate to ask this of you, but would you young woman mind pointing my friends and I in the right direction? Also, could tell me if you have spotted any other men traveling in this direction? We have somehow become separated from our second group. I wouldn't greatly appreciate any help you could give."

The white leopard woman with green eyes smiled warmly at Gaddes and said, "Of course we will help you. Let me start by introducing myself. I am called Lorei and the woman next to me is my sister, Sorai."

Sorai bowed politely toward Gaddes and said, "It is very good to meet your acquaintance. Now that you know our names, my sister and I would be honored to know yours. What do you call yourselves, brave travelers?"

Gaddes smirked and pointed toward himself with his index finger.

"You can call me General Gaddes Ohkawa. It's good to meet you both! I sure appreciate the help you guys are going to give me."

He paused to point towards the man on the brown warhorse ridding beside him and said, "The man next to me is Reeden. He's second in command."

Then he pointed to the men on standard horses behind him and added, "The men behind me are Katz, Ort, Pyle and Teo in exactly that order. Don't let their ugly faces frighten you. They are the best men I've got. Well, that is to say besides Kio, my third in command, but he went missing this morning with a group of Asturian soldiers he lead out to determine where we were."

The men waved at the two white leopard beast women and Gaddes turned his attention back to them.

"Now that we are all introduced, I hope that you fine woman can help us on our quest. It's a good thing that we ran into you when we did or we might have been lost out here forever."

Sorai grinned exposing her bottom fangs.

"It is really no trouble at all. My sister and I are always happy to help. You know, I am certain that we saw a group of men pass by this way this morning. I bet we could show you where they ended up. My sister and I are very good at tracking"

Lorei nodded.

"That's right. We were chosen to be border scouts because of our excellent tracking skills. We can find your men in no time. We'll get into our guymelef units and lead the way. Once we've found your men, my sister and I will help you get to Zaibach."

Gaddes smiled graciously at the white leopard twins and said, "I really appreciate all of your help. This means a lot to me. I'll make sure that Allen gives you a suitable reward when we return to Asturia for your trouble."

Sorai waved one of her clawed hands dismissively.

"That will not be necessary. There is no reward greater than helping a traveler in need. Now come along; we've got to find your men before it gets too late."

Sorai walked up the path toward her guymelef unit and Lorei followed after her. The two climbed inside each one and then gestured for Gaddes and his men to follow them. Gaddes signaled the men behind him to walk forward again and the group spent the next hour following the grey guymelef units until they finally caught sight of Kio's group in the distance.

A look of relief swept over Kio's face when he saw Gaddes and the others emerge from a heavily forested area with the two grey guymelef units ahead. He waved to his boss and everyone regrouped in the small valley below.

Gaddes rode up beside Kio and asked, "What happened? Did you guys get lost out here or something?"

Kio shrugged.

"I really don't know, boss. One minute it looked like we were outside of Zaibach and the next we ended up here. We were wandering around until you guys showed up. I thought we were going to be stuck out here forever."

Gaddes pointed toward the grey guymelef units behind him and said, "Well thanks to our new friends up there, it looks like we are heading in the right direction now. Those beast women lead us right to you guys just by tracking your footprints. It was pretty impressive to watch. Now they are going to lead us in the direction of Zaibach. They can't follow us out of the country, but the woman with blue eyes, Sorai, said she would point us in the right direction. We were lucky to run into these guys or we might still be wandering around the forest back there too."

The two white leopard twins saw Gaddes' introduction as a good excuse to come out of their guymelefs. They crawled out of each of their mobile air units and walked toward the new group of men with a sly grin on each of their faces.

The white leopard beast woman with green eyes said, "My friend, you give us too much credit. It was really no trouble at all. My sister and I just like to help out."

She let her gaze fall over the new group of men standing before her and said, "Now that everyone is here, my sister and I will surely help you reach Zaibach. Just leave everything to us!"

The white leopard beast woman with blue eyes added, "Yes, please follow us to your destination. We are more than happy to lead the way."

Gaddes thanked the pair again and each gave a sideways grin. The two exchanged suspicious glances before climbing back into their grey mobile suits and then began journeying down a second path that lead to a grand mountain range in the distance.

Gaddes signaled for his men to follow the two women and then took his place at the head of the line on his black warhorse. The men followed the white leopard women's guymelef units down the narrow path for what seemed like an eternity.

The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon when they reached a large valley with red hills that stretched for miles into the distance. The two women stopped at the forest line and pointed toward the valley with their guymelef unit's grey arms.

The leopard woman with the grey guymelef that housed a giant blue energist as power source said, "If you keep walking in that direction, you will eventually reach the kingdom of Zaibach."

The leopard woman sitting behind the grey guymelef housing a smaller green energist added, "It may take a while but don't lose heart. I assure you that you'll get there eventually."

Gaddes thanked the white leopard twins for all of their help and then set out to cross the valley with his men. After he and his group had disappeared from sight, Lorei and Sorai came out of their guymelef units and stared out onto the misty red valley with an amused look on each of their faces.

After some time Sorai asked, "How long do you think it will take them to find the next civilized kingdom, my sister?"

Lorei sneered. "At least a month going in that direction. No one ever heads that way. I bet they will get lost before long."

The two women gave a sinister laugh. About that time a red flashing light came from Lorei's guymelef unit. She walked over to her mobile suit and climbed into the cockpit. When she pressed the red button a voice appeared from a built in speaker system above.

A familiar voice proceeded to ask in a dry voice, "Did you take care of Allen's men, Lorei? I want a full report."

Lorei gave a short laugh and said, "Do not worry your majesty; my sister and I lead that pathetic group of men into the Ruby Valley. It will take them at least a month to reach any kind of settlement in any given direction."

The speaker crackled and the voice coolly replied, "Good work. I am most please with what you have done here today. Make sure that anyone who tries to stick their noses into Zaibach's business meets with the same fate."

Sorai climbed up Lorei's guymelef unit and said, "Don't worry Lady Capres. My sister and I will take care of everything. There is nothing to worry about."

The voice on the other side said in a slightly kinder voice, "That is a relief to hear. Now I want you girls to patrol the area for anyone else who is trying to uncover our plans. If you find any wayward travelers send them to the lab facility to be taken care of by Dr. Zulias. I have given you my orders. Carry them out with haste and try not to fail me."

The two cat girls said in unison, "As her majesty wishes." And then shut off the communication system.

Sorai gave a satisfied grin in her sister's direction and said, "It looks like everything is going our way. Lady Capres will be most pleased when she witnesses the results of our work. I can't wait until she finishes her project. We must stop everyone from interfering until then."

Lorei nodded.

"You are right my sister. Let's make sure that we do not have another repeat of that ignorant Dr. Ruben's slipup the other day. You take the northern half and I will take the southern quadrant. We are going to make sure that no one else attempts to interfere with her majesty's plans."

Sorai climbed down her sister's guymelef unit and got into her own. They each put their melefs in flight mode and set out to patrol the borders of Zaibach in opposite directions for anyone unfortunate enough to stumble onto the borders of the dark county.


	10. Garden Rendezvous

Letters from Gaea

**Chapter Ten: Garden Rendezvous**

It was evening when Allen received Van's letter. He frowned at the piece of parchment resting in his hands as he looked it over.

The letter read;

Dear Allen,

I received your letter and I thought you would be interested to know that your suspicions about Zaibach were right on the mark. Princess Aythene of Egzardia delivered a message to my Kingdom earlier today confirming both of our suspicions. Aythene learned that Zaibach is responsible for the missing people and the multiple deaths around its county's border. While the reasons behind Zaibach's actions are still unknown, her country's merchants reported that Zaibach's new leader in none other than the daughter of Isaac and that she intends to engage all of Gaea in the fires of war.

The King of Egzardia plans to do nothing about this even though he was the first to learn about Zaibach's sinister deeds. Princess Aythene came to my kingdom on her own merit to inform me of what her country's merchants had told him. I am keeping her in Fanelia for the time being to protect her from any outside forces that may attempt to come after her on behalf of what she knows. I wrote a letter to the king of Egzardia mentioning that Princess Aythene is staying as a guest in my palace without giving away too much vital information.

I think it would be best to keep this matter a secret for now. I sent a letter explaining the current situation of Zaibach to your son Chid in Fried and also to your sister Celena in Cesario. I know that I can trust Chid and Celena to take the necessary precautions against a potential invasion by Zaibach without revealing the purpose of their military preparations to their people. I hope that you will take the same steps to make sure that you will be prepared, should Zaibach decide to attack your kingdom of Asturia.

I am sorry to write you with such bad news. It is my hope that the next time we correspond it will be under lighter circumstances. Please take this information to heart and prepare for a potential attack by Zaibach in the best way you see fit. I will come to your aid under out peace treaty, should you need it.

Sincerely,

Van Slanzar De Fanel,

Reigning King of Fanelia

Son of Gaou and Varie Fanel

Brother of Folken Lacour De Fanel

He sighed and laid the letter on his lap. Prime Minister Grude had given him the letter only a few short hours before. Earlier that day, before Van's message was delivered, Allen received word that Gaddes and his men had somehow become turned around at Zaibach's border and were heading towards the Ruby Valley.

Allen had sent out his airship, The Crusade, to help locate the men and bring them back to the castle. Gaddes and the others arrived at the castle feeling very disoriented and confused around the same time Prime Minster Grude gave Allen Van's letter. Allen didn't like the way that things were turning out. According to Gaddes, there were two cat women at the border of a kingdom they assumed to be Ersa that they suspected turned them around at the border, after they heard the truth of the situation from the palace administrators.

With so many powerful enemies appearing in and around Zaibach, Allen hoped that the allies he had would be able to bring the new threat surfacing in the dark kingdom to its knees. As he turned the letter around in his hand, Millerna walked up behind him with a look of concern on her face. She quietly sat next to his place on an iron bench in the palace garden that overlooked a row of gardenias. When Allen noticed his wife's presence, he folded up the letter and tucked it away in his shirt. He tried not to look as concerned as he really was as he turned to face her.

"Ah, I see that you have decided to join me this evening, Millerna. I hope that my absence from dinner did not upset you."

Millerna placed one of her hands over Allen's.

"I am more concerned about you. After our political meeting with the Ransends yesterday, I haven't had a chance to talk to you. I suspected that something must have happened to occupy your time so I asked Official Jenson about the matter. He told me that there was some problems surfacing around the borders of Zaibach but he didn't know all of the details. Is that the reason you have been distant from me? I must know."

Allen took his hand out from underneath Millerna's and laced his fingers through it.

"I don't want to worry you but I can't keep anything from you. My heart wouldn't allow me to keep anything from the woman I love. The truth is that I have just received some disturbing news from Van. Princess Aythene of Egzardia visited him earlier today and told him crucial news about Zaibach. Her country's merchants overheard Zaibach soldiers talking about a war that is going to be carried out by their current ruler, a young woman who is calling herself the daughter of Isaac."

Millerna brought her other hand up to her mouth and gasped.

"The daughter…of Isaac? I didn't think that the old man ever had any children. Even if that is the case, why would she be so bent on starting another war, especially after all of these years of peace?"

Allen closed his eyes momentarily to gather his thoughts and then returned his gaze to Millerna.

"I really don't know. All I know is that there is definitely something amiss. Earlier today, one of our country's scouts gave me word that Gaddes and his men were heading toward the Ruby Valley. I sent the stand-in crew of The Crusade out to bring them back to Asturia. Gaddes just arrived with his men a few hours ago. He told me that he got turned around at the border. He suspects that it was somehow the work of the cat women he ran into. The woman might have been placed there as border patrols. Zaibach definitely doesn't want anyone poking their nose into their business, and this has me deeply concerned."

Millerna smiled at her husband reassuringly.

"I know that we don't have much to go off of, but at least we know there are people that will be willing to help. Your sister would be willing to lend us aide during our time of war, as would your son, Chid. I know that Van would do everything in his power to help us as well. We should let your sister and son know what is going on. I'm sure that they would take the necessary precautions to defend their kingdoms if they knew."

Allen squeezed Millerna's hand.

"Van has already sent letter to Celena and Chid. I think that he was thinking along the same lines. I am comforted that we have many allies, but I am concerned that it may not be enough to help us with the power that Zaibach seems to be amassing. You are right though. At least we have allies. We are going to need all of the help we can get."

The two stared at each other for a moment in silence before the tension was broken by the deep voice of Prime Minister Grude.

He came up behind the two and said, "I have just been informed that Queen Celena of Cesario and King Chid of Freid have received the letters Van has sent them. Their royal footmen wanted me to inform you that they are taking the necessary precautions to defend themselves against a possible attack from Zaibach. My apologies for disrupting your conversation, but I thought that this was something that you would be interested to know."

Allen let go of Millerna's hand and stood from the iron bench.

He bowed courteously at Prime Minister Grude and then said, "I don't mind the interruption, Prime Minister. Thank you for informing me. Please have the royal scribe send a response to Queen Celena and King Chid. Have the scribe tell them that Asturia will send aid, should they need it. Also tell the scribe to let them know that we have made similar military maneuvers here. Finally, have the royal scribe let them know that I am going to send a response to Van on all of our kingdom's behalf. They have more to worry about right now than sending a letter to Van. I will personally make sure that the letter is written and delivered to him by tomorrow morning."

Prime Minister Grude bowed submissively before the king.

"Oh course, my lord. I will make sure that this task is carried out right away."

He took Allen's hand and kissed it before he set off to complete his assignment. Millerna stood from the bench and walked a few feet forward until she was standing next to her husband.

"If you want Allen, I can write the letter for you. I know that you probably want to talk to General Gaddes more in depth about what happened and plan out military maneuvers with the other men."

Allen smiled at his wife.

"Thank you Millerna, I appreciate it. I will leave the task of writing Van in your capable hands. I am going to have a chat with Gaddes about his encounter on the border. I may not retire until late this evening, so don't wait up for me after you have written the letter. I want you to keep up your health for the both of us."

Millerna nodded.

"I promise that I will get some sleep, but you do the same. I don't want you to over tire yourself. I hope that your meeting with Gaddes and the others goes well."

Allen nodded toward his wife and drew her close to him. The two gave each other a long embrace before leaving the garden to carry out each of their individual tasks. Allen walked through a nearby entrance that led to the palace guest chambers where Gaddes and his men were staying for the evening. Millerna took the opposite entrance to the royal gardens that led to the royal bed chambers.

When she reached the large, oak door of the room, two palace guards pulled the heavy doors open and she walked inside. She sat at a Victorian style desk and took out a stack of parchment paper from within of its front drawers. She began to work on writing a letter to Van with a feathered pen that she pulled out of an ink well resting in a hidden compartment beneath the top of her desk.

When she was satisfied with what she had written, she had one of the royal guards standing outside her bedroom chambers deliver the letter to the palace scribe, who was busy at work writing the other letters to Queen Celena and King Chid. The guard that delivered Millerna's message relayed her message to have the palace footman deliver the letters on Allen's airship, first thing in the morning. The palace scribe promised that she would, and continued to meticulously write her letters without spilling a single drop of ink, a talent that she was widely respected for among the nobles of the kingdom.

After her letter was written, Millerna retired to bed. It had been a busy day between the meeting with palace officials and carrying out all of the preparations necessary to secure the border on Allen's behalf. She wished that there could be some resolve to the matter as she shut her eyes and drifted into a deep state of slumber.

Meanwhile, Allen was busy discussing military maneuvers with Gaddes and his men in the royal guest chambers. After coming to a mutual decision to increase the amount of soldiers around the borders of the kingdom and getting all of the information he could about Gaddes' run in with the cat twins, Allen retired to bed for the evening as well.

He walked to the royal bedroom chambers and one of the guards outside the heavy oak door informed him that his wife had given her letter to Van to the royal scribe. He thanked the guard for the information as the two men pulled open the door and Allen walked over to his and Millerna's bed. He put on his night clothes and pulled back the covers to reveal that Millerna was still in her formal wear. He figured that she must have been too exhausted from the day's events to change.

He took off her jewelry and helped her slip out of her dress as she remained in a deep sleep. Millerna was still half-asleep as he pulled a nightgown over her head and tucked her into her side. She sighed contently and turned over unaware of what her husband had just done. Allen got on his side of the bed and pulled the covers up to his waist. He watched his wife sleep contently beside him for a few moments before letting the weight of sleep pull his eyes and carry him into his own set of dreams.


	11. The Celestial Door

Letters from Gaea

**Chapter Eleven: The Celestial Door**

Hitomi winced as she peeked through small window resting on the door of her History 100 room. Dr. Saeto Itawanabi was giving Tristan a pretty harsh lecture about lying to him in the previous class. It was the first time Hitomi had had seen Tristan outwardly express any kind of pain. She felt her heart ache.

"That poor boy has deal with all of that because of me. I'm such an idiot. I've got to do something to help him!"

Hitomi was just about to walk through the door and give Professor Itawanabi a piece of her mind when Tristan came walking out of the classroom, forcing a smile.

"Well, that went a lot better than I thought it would. I'm sorry I couldn't meet you at the university plaza, Hitomi. But hey, now that the terrible ordeal is over with, you and I can go over to your place together! Remember; you promised me that you would tell me your story today. No more excuses. That will be the way you can pay me back for having to listen to that old baboon ramble on."

Hitomi stared at Tristan apologetically for a few moments and then reluctantly nodded. She felt terrible that Tristan had to go through all of that but she didn't know what to say. The two remained silent as they made their way across university's campus. When they reached her dormitory Hitomi unlocked the front door and lead Tristan up a flight of stairs. When they reached her living space on the top level of the building, Hitomi opened the door and gestured for Tristan to come in. She pulled a chair resting in small corner of the room up to her desk for Tristan to sit in. Tristan settled into the chair as Hitomi sat down on her sleeping mat facing him with a nervous look on her face.

She felt guilty about what had happened earlier so before telling Tristan her story she said, "Tristan, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to get you into trouble with Professor Itawanabi. You probably hate me now. I completely understand if you never want to talk to me again."

Tristan seemed a bit surprised by Hitomi's comment.

After a few moments of sorting out his feelings he said, "Don't worry about me, Hitomi. Professor Itawanabi said that he would give me another chance since I am one of his best students. There is nothing to be sorry about. I don't hate you at all. You are my friend. If you want to pay me back, then tell me your story. That will be good enough for me."

Hitomi nodded and took a deep breath.

"Alright Tristan. I will do my best. I just hope you won't think I'm crazy when I'm done telling you."

Hitomi spent the next hour explaining her journey to Gaea. She recounted her adventure in meticulous detail and then mentioned her desire to see her friends on the foreign world at some point in the future. Tristan listened quietly without asking any questions, which made Hitomi worry that he might not believe a word she was saying.

However, when her story was finished, Tristan smiled warmly toward her and got up from his chair. He then walked toward Hitomi and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hitomi…I want to thank you for sharing your story with me. You don't have to worry about me thinking you are crazy. The truth is…that there is something else that makes me believe in the paranormal. I didn't mention it before because I didn't want you to think I was a total kook. However, now that you have shared so much with me, I feel like I can trust you with what I am about to say."

Tristan paused to sit next to Hitomi on her sleeping mat and then continued on.

"When I was a young boy, I met a girl in my neighborhood playground. The girl had shoulder length brown hair and big hazel eyes. I asked the girl her name but she didn't tell me. Instead she asked me a rather strange question. She inquired what world she was on. I thought she was joking so I laughed and said she was on the planet Earth like everyone else. She looked scared when I told her that so I tried to cheer her up."

"I told one of the stories my grandmother would read always to me before I went to sleep each night. I ended up telling her stories for hours. Each time I was finished with one, she would beg me to tell her another. I was gone from home for so long that my parents became worried and started to look around the neighborhood to find out where I was. I heard my mother calling my name and I looked back to see where he voice was coming from."

"I spotted my mom searching for me with my father across the road and I called out to them. They ran toward me with worried looks on their faces and my mother gave me a big hug. She asked where I had been all of that time and I said that I had been talking to my friend. I turned around to introduce my mother to the girl but she was gone. My parents took me home after that and told me to keep what had happened at the park to myself."

"They were worried that I had met an unhappy spirit and that it might haunt our house if I let my thought dwell on it. I didn't want to upset my parents so I pretended to forget the ordeal and I never went back to play in that park again. In reality, I never forgot my experience. It is something that has followed me like a shadow throughout the years."

"The strange thing is that ever since I met that girl, I have had dreams about her. Sometimes she talks to me and other times I see her silently look up to the night sky with a sad look on her face. Each time I dream about her, she looks different, like she has grown with me throughout my childhood. Now when I see her in my dreams, she is my age and dressed in the garments of a princess. She is the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on and I have somehow fallen in love with her."

"The only problem is that I only see the young woman in my dreams. She has not appeared to me since that day those many years ago. You might think it is funny for loving someone you have only met once but…I can't help the way I feel. I either want to be with that girl or no one at all. You are actually the first person I have told this to besides my sister. That's what Ella was teasing me about the other day. Not even the guys in the Atlantis club know about this."

"I don't know where the girl came from or even if I can even see her again but I want to have faith that she will appear to me again. Maybe together you and I can figure that out. Anyway, I hope you don't think I am completely nuts, after what I have told all of this to you."

Hitomi pointed toward the ring Van had given her and then looked at Tristan with a smile.

"I don't think you are crazy at all. The boy I told you about in my story…Van…gave me this ring before I left and even though I haven't seen him for many years…well the truth is that when I wear it I can think only of him. It reminds me how much I love him and how my feelings for him haven't changed after all that time."

"I dream about him often too. I don't know whether the dreams I have are accurate or not, but just being able to see his face lets me feel at peace and somehow reassures me that everything will work out fine in the end. I am sure that if you believe hard enough, your feelings will reach the girl in time. You just have to be patient and sure of yourself. I believe that I will see Van again one day. That is why I wrote him a letter the other night and…"

Hitomi rose quickly from her sleeping mat with a blank expression on her face. All at once she remembered that her keepsake box had gone missing and she began to panic. Tristan raised himself up from the floor and stood in front of Hitomi with a look of concern.

"What's wrong, Hitomi? Are you ok? Did I say something that made you feel uncomfortable? If I did, please forgive me. I didn't mean to freak you out or anything."

Hitomi shook her head and looked desperately into Tristan's eyes.

"You didn't do anything wrong at all. I'm upset because the letter I wrote to Van went missing. I placed it in my grandmother's keepsake box a few days ago and when I woke up it was gone. That is why I was spacing out in History class in the first place. I wish that I could find it."

Tristan smiled reassuringly.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You know what? It probably just got knocked off your nightstand or something while you were asleep. How about I help you look for it? Two pairs of eyes are better than one."

Hitomi's expression changed immediately from one of despair to one filled with hope.

A look of joy washed across her face as she said, "Thank you so much for your help, Tristan. Not just for this, but for everything you have done for me today. I owe you so much."

Tristan smiled warmly at Hitomi.

"It's really no trouble at all. That's what friends do; they helped one another. Now let's try to find that keepsake box!"

The two spent the next half hour tarring Hitomi's dorm room apart looking for the keepsake box with little success. Just when they were about to give up and tears began to well up in Hitomi's eyes, a bright light pulsated in the center of the room and then vanished, leaving the allusive item they had been searching for behind.

Hitomi exchanged glances with Tristan who stared at the keepsake box in wonder as she walked to the center of the room with a puzzled look on her face. When she was standing above the box, she picked it from its place on the floor and opened it to make sure her letter was still inside.

Instead of finding the letter she had written she found another that had a strange seal on the front of it. Hitomi stared at the letter with question in her eyes and opened it in an attempt to find out what was going on. Her eyes widened when she saw the first line of the letter which read, "My Dearest Hitomi on the Mystic Moon…"

Tristan saw Hitomi place her other hand over her mouth in shock and walked up beside her with a bewildered look on his face.

"Hitomi…what's going on? Did I really just see that box appear out of nowhere or am I even crazier than I thought?"

Hitomi lowered her hand and shakily replied, "You are not going crazy; I saw it happen too. I don't know how it happened but…somehow my letter has gone missing and this one has appeared in its place. I guess all of this has caught me a little off guard. I didn't mean to worry you. However…you see…this letter is from Van."

Tristan stared at the letter in Hitomi's hand in amazement.

"It is? Wow! This is so cool! If it's from Van, then you should read it. Maybe it will tell you what's going on!"

Hitomi nodded absent mindedly and then proceeded to read the letter out loud.

The letter went (more or less) something like this:

My Dearest Hitomi on the Mystic Moon,

I pray with all of my being that this letter reaches you safely on your world. It is the key to staying in contact with you so I hope that you will receive it intact. I have so much to tell you but first I must let you know about the rather amazing keepsake box that your letter came to me in.

Dryden ran some tests on it and found out that it is a teleportation device left over from the days of Atlantis called a Gluarsta-Sphare. It works by transforming human will into energy and then sending the items you place in it to the person you think of. If you write a letter and place it in the box all you have to do is think of me and the box will deliver your letter. Isn't this exciting news?

I want you to know that I have never stopped thinking about you since the day I gave you my mother's ring those many years ago. My palace ministers have tried to persuade me to get married to the princesses of many kingdoms but I have refused all of their marriage proposals because in my mind you are the only one I could possible ever love.

I also do not want you to feel burdened by the past. I do not blame you for any of the terrible things that befell Gaea when you came to us. You should not feel guilt for those things. It was Zaibach who plunged the world into chaos in their pursuit of an ideal world. Any crime you feel you have committed is a crime that I will shoulder the burden of to ease your sorrow.

Whether you want to believe it or not, your presence on Gaea has changed many lives for the better. As a result there are many that have come to recognize you as a hero. There is not a country that does not know the importance of your visit. I always smile when I hear the people of my kingdom telling stories about your bravery in the market place. No matter what happens in the future you will always be the savior of Gaea to me as well as the girl from the Mystic Moon who stole my heart.

Since you have been away many things have changed. I have rebuilt Fanelia with the help of the survivors of the Gaean War into a kingdom rivaling Asturia in beauty. I hope to show it to you one day. I built a special room in my new palace with you in mind. It has a balcony that looks across the entire kingdom of Fanelia and is angled toward the Mystic Moon. The balcony is decorated with a sitting area. I go there often to think about the time we had together in the past and the time I want to spend together with you in the future.

Merle has grown quite a bit since the last time you saw her. She has become my Minister of Foreign Affairs and now travels across all of Gaea helping to strengthen the bonds between Fanelia and the other countries of the world. On one of her visits she met a beast man who was in charge of the royal army of Basram and the two fell in love. Merle is engaged to him and plans to marry the cat, Siobhan, within the year.

After you returned to the Mystic moon King Aston died and Millerna became the reigning queen of Asturia. Allen courted her for a year and the two were married shortly after. Gaddes was appointed the head of Castillo Fort and took Allen's place as the seventh Knight of Caeli. Who would have ever imagined that? As unbelievable as it sounds, Gaddes was knighted after Millerna and Allen tied the knot and has been doing a good job serving his country under his new title from what I hear.

I was invited to Allen and Millerna's wedding and the marriage ceremony was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Allen was dressed in similar attire as King Aston when he was alive but he wore bronze armor over it to symbolize that he was a warrior in the Gaean War. Millerna wore light blue dress with long sleeves and a dark blue cape that fell to the ground. All of Asturia seemed to show up to the event. People were laughing, drinking, talking to loved ones, cheering loudly, dancing and singing as Millerna and Allen made their way down the city's street toward the palace in the distance.

I was at the top of the palace stairway with Merle who kept fidgeting through the entire thing. I should have known that Merle would be like that. No matter how mature she becomes over the years, there are some things about her that will never change.

When I saw the minister giving Allen and Millerna his blessing I couldn't help feeling a little sad. I was happy that Allen was finally able to find someone he cared about and I was pleased that Millerna had chosen Allen as her husband but seeing them get married reminded me how much I wanted to be with you. It was the first time since you left, I shamefully admit, that I felt jealous of Allen. Oh course, I didn't let him know that. I gave him and Millerna my blessing before heading back to Fanelia with Merle who mentioned that she should have grabbed more food before leaving. I should have guessed the only reason Merle would want to come is for the food.

Allen's sister, Celena, was married to Nevaeh, the king of Cesario. Nevaeh fell in love with Celena after meeting her at a palace banquet in Asturia a short time after Allen and Millerna were married. She now rules as the queen of that country and is to be one of the best loved rulers of Cesario that has ever lived. To atone for her crimes as her alternate personality Dilandau, Celena set up a center for people who suffered illnesses from Zaibach experiments during the Gaean War throughout the world and has dedicated her spare time to helping treat victims in her local branch of the organization.

Millerna's sister Eries surprised everyone by renouncing her title of second princess of Asturia to marry a famous world explorer from Daedalus named Kecia Solly Imogen. She now travels around Gaea helping her husband draw maps of the places they visit and writing travel journals that she has regularly donates to libraries across the world. She occasionally visits Millerna in Asturia to see how her little sister is doing and to keep an eye on Allen. I find it to be rather amusing that after all these years, Eries is still wary of Allen's ability to lead the people of Asturia. I guess just like Merle, there are some things about Eries that will never change.

Prince Chid is now ten years old and has rebuilt his kingdom even grander than before. After Allen married Millerna, he journeyed to Freid in order to let Chid know that he was his real father. Not surprisingly, Chid welcomed Allen as his father right away and went on to sign a treaty that forced a powerful alliance between the two nations. Chid is a young king but he has wisdom beyond his years. I have faith that he will make many decisions that will help Freid become an even more powerful and wealthy nation in the future.

Dryden went into partnership with Mr. Mole shortly after you left and set up a trade guild called The Sea Dragon Merchant's Alliance in Asturia. In the last three years he has also set up a trade company called The Emerald Valley Division in Fanelia. Mr. Mole usually manages the sister company here in Fanelia while Dryden manages the trade guild in Asturia. Since Dryden can't really ever be tied down to one place or another he usually leaves The Sea Dragon Merchant's Alliance under the care of his rat assistant, Ruu. He spends a great deal of his time doing trade with Mr. Mole here in Fanelia so I see him often. It is a good thing that he was here when the box came to me or I honestly wouldn't have been able to make heads or tail of it. I owe Dryden a lot more than he will accept from me, I am afraid to say. Then again what do you give one of the wealthiest men on Gaea that he doesn't already have? I guess the only thing meaningful to give him is a life debt. I owe him that much.

Do you remember the wolf beast man Ruhm? Well believe it or not he left his clan four years ago to become my Minister of Trade and Commerce. His younger brother Yurim is now the head of his clan and visits Ruhm often in the palace. There couldn't be anyone else better suited for the job, except perhaps Dryden, but he is already too busy with his own affairs. I have become the first king to appoint two beast men to high roles of government on Gaea. The unfortunate truth is that beast men still face a lot of discrimination by the other nations of this world. I hope that by setting an example in my own kingdom others will follow and learn to be kind to all people of all nations.

I wish I could tell you more about Zaibach but unfortunately they have been isolationists since the Gaean War so no one knows much about their current situation. Many kingdoms have tried to establish trade relationships with the new ruler but have failed. Whoever is running the country is not interested in establishing friendly ties with other kingdoms. This makes me a little worried at times but in these days of peace the best I can do is as a king is hope for the best. I am just grateful that there isn't any sign of war.

While you were here you never had a chance to visit the other countries so I will fill you in on their current situations. From what Merle has told me, Basram had a revolution following the Gaean War and overthrew the old, corrupt leaders. After two years of fighting they established a democratic form of government with elected officials. They became the first nation on Gaea to have a democratic system of government. Can you imagine? There is actually a nation where the people choose their king every four years! The current elected ruler is King Nathanial Troy Ervadia and his wife queen Roselyn Coral Ervadia. They have two daughters, the eldest Princess Roanne Lindsay Ervadia and the youngest princess Arin Nicole Ervadia who have donated their time to helping the survivors of the revolution recover from their losses. The King and Queen are currently serving their third year in court. Merle informed me that election for new rulers will begin in the fall though King Nathanial will most likely run for a second term.

Daedalus followed Basram's example and now has an electoral system of government as well. Fortunately, Daedalus did not have to have a revolution to accomplish the same goal. The rulers went into hiding after the Gaean War and the people felt it was time for a change in government. A year after Basram came up with the electoral system Daedalus made their own republic and elected a Queen as their ruler. Queen Maria Elizabeth Senjardia is the current leader with her husband King Jordan Luther Senjardia as second of command. They have five sons, the eldest prince Ruta Senjardia, the second prince Sayran Senjardia, the third prince Gendan Senjardia, the fourth prince Imbin Senjardia and the fifth Gaoh Senjardia. The queen is serving her second year and I hear may be running for a second term after her four years have expired because she is well respected by her people.

Egzardia is still under a kingship but most of the power has moved to their parliament. The royal family makes the final decision in matters and has the highest seat on the council. The kingdom is ruled by King Mahavira Wallis Darlem and his wife Fantine Rachelle Darlem. The oldest son Wesley Varick Darlem is next in line for the throne and the youngest daughter Aythene Karlyious Darlem is currently serving as the court Minister of Foreign Affairs. I am scheduled to meet with her about an alliance between Fanelia and Egzardia tomorrow morning. If all goes well, I will make friends with another nation helping Gaea to become one step closer to achieving world peace.

There are many other nations I could tell you about but I won't ramble on about them. I just thought you might want to know what happened to the allied forces after the war. I'm so used to writing government letters that I suppose I can go on about boring things for ages and not even realize it until it is too late. I offer my most humble apologies for including less than exciting topics in this letter, my dear Hitomi. Sometimes it is hard for me to distinguish the king aspect of my personality from who I really am inside these days. If you were here, I know that my heart would be filled with joy and that man you fell in love with would be more present than this unfamiliar government official I have become.

I hope that one day we can find our way back to one another. Until that day comes I will continue to be a strong leader and will rule Fanelia with wisdom and pride. You have taught me to be a kind and a forgiving King. There is so much that owe to you my love. When I see you again I hope to repay you by offering you my whole heart and undying love. I count the days until we can meet again

Your Forever,

(With all of the love I can manage to send on parchment)

Van

P.S. If you were not already aware there is a reason I gave you my mother's ring those many years back. Please hold onto it until I can tell you the secret behind it. It is a symbol of my everlasting affection.

Hitomi drew the letter close to her heart and smiled warmly. A true miracle had taken place. For the first time in five years she finally knew Van's true feelings toward her. Tristan put his hand on Hitomi's shoulder and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"I can't believe it, Tristan. This letter is really from Van. With the Gluarsta-Sphare I can communicate with him whenever I like. I might not get to see him but at least…I can tell him how I am doing. I am sorry to get so teary on you. We just met and I'm already burdening you with my life story. I am just so happy and…"

Before Hitomi could finish speaking Tristan pulled her close to his chest and held her tight.

"It's ok Hitomi. I already told you that I consider you to be my friend. You can cry on my shoulder whenever you need too. I will help you reach that man in the letter…his name is Van right? I will do everything in my power to help you see him again."

Hitomi burst into tears and rested her head on Tristan's shoulder.

"Thank you so much Tristan. You will never know…how much…this means to me…and…" was all she could manage to say between sobs.

Tristan smiled and continued to hold Hitomi in a friendly embrace.

"It's really no trouble at all. You know, this makes my life a lot more exciting. I should be thanking you. There is something else I haven't told you. The degree I am going for at this university is a Masters in Engineering. I figured that if I could learn to build things I might find a way to contact that girl again. I've been working on a project for a little over a year since I came here. I haven't told anyone about it besides Hideki yet but I think it is safe to tell you."

"In my paranormal research I came upon an old record of what the Atlanteans supposedly called a Celestial Door. I found the plans for it on one of those sketchy sites on the internet that you normally shouldn't trust. The interesting thing about the website, though, was that the author wasn't trying to pass off the Celestial Door's plans as something that would work. Rather, the author was cataloging what he had found after World War Two."

"Apparently the American Government compensated it from him shortly after he found it. The author was a military engineer for the American Armed Forces and drew up plans for the Celestial Door before it was taken away. I seriously doubted that the Celestial Door was real but the plans seemed sound so I attempted to put one together and I…succeeded. As crazy as it sounds I think I have built the first portal since the age of Atlantis. That is what had me so interested in doing research about it in the first place."

Hitomi whipped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. After she regained her composure she took her head off Tristan's shoulder.

Excitement began to slowly replace the look of distress when she stared up at him and said, "You built…a portal? That's amazing! But how do you know it works? Have you tested it? Where does it go?"

Tristan shook his head and then shrugged.

"I honestly don't know. I threw a few objects into it and they didn't come back out. I've sent a few turtles and rabbits through and they also haven't come back. It's rather strange. I mean the thing is the size of an ordinary door. You can see through it to the other side. However, the moment you put something in it, the object disappears. I've tried rolling a ball through the door. I expected it to come out the other side but…it just stopped and disappeared."

"Before I met you I thought that I was just crazy. I decided to do some research on Atlantis to find a logical explanation to what was going on. That is why I started checking out those books in the first place. I kind of swept the Celestial Door project under the rug while I was trying to find out more information about it. What I witnessed was a little too out there…even for me."

"However if this portal really does have a connection with Atlantis then it is possible it might have a connection with that world you are trying to get too. I can't be absolutely certain but…with a few more tests I am sure I can figure it out the mystery behind the door. Would you be willing to help me with my project, Hitomi? That is the way you can repay me for today. Does that sound like a fair deal?"

A smiled washed over Hitomi's face and she said a little too forwardly, "Yes! I will help you in any way I can! Oh please, let m be part of your project. I promise I won't let anyone know about your secret. You have my word of honor."

Tristan laughed and stretched his left hand toward Hitomi.

"Then I guess I have an official partner. From this day on you and I are going to unlock the mysteries behind the Celestial Door. You've got to promise not to get cold feet on me. It might be a long and arduous task but we've got to see I through to the end. Do you promise?"

Hitomi stretched out her right hand and shook Tristan's hand.

"You've got a deal. I promise not to give up. And also…I promise to help you find that girl. You see, I do fortune telling as I was explaining earlier. I don't like to do it too often because of the trouble it caused on Gaea. However, if my abilities will help you find that girl I will do everything in my power to help you find her. You have my word."

Tristan beamed and shook Hitomi's hand a few more times before letting go of her hand and smiling sheepishly.

"I'm sorry…I am just so happy that I might get a chance to meet that girl again. Please forgive my rudeness. Well then, it's getting late now so I should be going. I still have a paper to write for my Physics class. However, after class tomorrow, how about we meet in the student commons? We can head to the Atlantis Club because we are having a meeting there in-between classes. Afterwards you and I can head to my dorm and I will show you the Celestial Door. It will be our secret project! Does that sound good?"

Hitomi nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, that sounds great! I have two classes tomorrow but both of them are in the morning. I can meet you and the rest of the Atlantis Club members around 2:00 pm. Is that a good time for you?"

Tristan smiled.

"It's perfect! That's when I was planning on having it anyway. So then…I'll see you tomorrow at two o'clock!"

Tristan shook Hitomi's hand once more and then awkwardly left her dorm room bowing as he walked out. Hitomi chuckled at his awkwardness and waved as he left her alone in her dorm room once more.

Hitomi almost couldn't believe the good luck she was having as she changed into her night clothes and plopped down in front of the Gluarsta-Sphare which still rested in the middle of her bedroom floor. After staring at it for a few moments she decided that she should let Van know she had received his letter and tell him about the exciting project she was working on with Tristan.

She spent an hour writing the best letter she could manage to piece together and then stuck it in her grandmother's keepsake box.

She brought the Gluarsta-Sphare to the side of her bed and then clasped her hands together as she whispered, "Please send this letter to Van."

At first nothing happened but then the box lit up and disappeared as mysteriously as it had come. Hitomi said a quick prayer of thanks before she nestled herself between her covers and attempted to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day and she needed all the rest she could get.


End file.
